McLaren drivers aiming to beat Ferrari to constructors’ glory ‘in style’ as Lando Norris leads front row lock-out at Yas Marina

McLaren go in search of their first constructors’ title since 1998 in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – with the team putting themselves in the box seat to achieve that feat as Lando Norris led Oscar Piastri in a McLaren one-two in qualifying.

McLaren head into the race 21 points clear of rivals Ferrari, the only team still able to deny them constructors’ glory. And the team backed up their one-two finishes in Free Practices 2 and 3 with the same result in qualifying, Norris heading the pack to finish the season as the best qualifier with his eighth pole position – tied with Max Verstappen but with a better average starting position.

“A perfect day for us,” said Norris afterwards. “Probably a little bit tougher than we were hoping for – we’ve been very quick all weekend so we’re pleased with a one-two, but it was just a bit trickier than what we would have liked. My lap in the end was strong, and just how we wanted to end today.

YAS MARINA CIRCUIT, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 07: Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, and pole — Norris and Piastri took a 1-2 in qualifying at Abu Dhabi

“We’ve got to beat Ferrari, that’s the aim,” added Norris of whether he was planning to play it safe to close out the championship in Sunday’s race or go for glory. “But we want to do it in style and we want to win. I want to win, so we know what we have to do.

“We’re keeping our heads down, we’re staying focused. We’re here to win every race possible, and tomorrow we’re going to have a good chance, at least with one of our cars. We’ll be giving it everything we’ve got but knowing in the back of our minds what we really have to do to achieve our big goal.”

Piastri wound up 0.209s adrift of his team mate, while denying Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz P2 by just two hundredths of a second – the Australian having had his first lap deleted and then re-instated in Q3, before improving to complete the lock-out for McLaren.

“We took a while to find our feet in qualifying, but we got there in the end,” said Piastri. “A great result for the team so happy with that. The last lap, I wish I could have had it again, but P2 is still a good spot and obviously for the team, first and second is the dream at the moment.

Qualifying Highlights: 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

“I think we’ll do whatever we can to make sure we win the championship, and that’s by far the biggest goal tomorrow,” added Piastri. “I’m sure we’d both love to win the race but I’m sure everyone would love to win the championship even more, so we’ll make sure that happens and have some fun tomorrow.”

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Ferrari’s chances of taking their own first constructors’ title since 2008 took an extra hit, meanwhile, after Charles Leclerc fell out in Q2 after having a lap deleted – the Monegasque having already been set for a 10-place grid drop after taking a new energy store.