Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri - ESPN

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for the 2025 title decider in Abu Dhabi after beating his two championship rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to the fastest time in qualifying.

Verstappen is 12 points behind Norris in the standings heading into Sunday's finale, meaning Norris can secure the title on Sunday with a podium regardless of where his rivals finish.

Verstappen's best shot at a fifth consecutive title is to win the race and hope events conspire against Norris to drop him to fourth.

Piastri is 16 points off Norris in the standings, making his chances of victory slim unless something happens to the cars ahead of him on the grid.

Verstappen took pole by 0.201 seconds from Norris after setting two laps in Q3 that would have been fast enough for pole position.