F1 LIVE | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying

The first real showdown of the Abu Dhabi GP is about to begin. This is the GPBlog liveblog of qualifying at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Don't miss any of the on-track action.

The data for qualifying and the race was mainly gathered in FP2. The other two practice sessions were not representative enough due to widely varying temperatures. Judging from that second session on Friday, it looks like Max Verstappen will be the man to beat on Saturday. After a quiet third free practice session for the Dutchman, he still seems to be the fastest over one lap.

On Sunday, things may get more exciting as the longruns were closer. At least, the gaps seem small between Red Bull Racing, Mercedes and Ferrari. Whether Mercedes will match Brazil's performance this weekend has not yet been ruled out, but that Red Bull will be back at it this weekend and in a much better position than last week is certain.