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• Norris delighted with 'perfect day' as McLaren get one-two in Abu Dhabi qualifying

  Lando Norris said it was a "perfect day" for McLaren as they locked out the front of the grid in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

  Norris took pole – 0.208 seconds ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri in second – to give the team, who currently hold a 21-point lead in the constructors' championship, the best possible chance of their first title since 1998.

  "It was a perfect, perfect day for us," said Norris. "Probably a little bit tougher than we were hoping for, we’ve been quick all weekend.

  "We were pleased with the one-two, but it was a bit trickier than what we would have liked. My lap in the end was strong, and it was just how we wanted to end today."

  But despite the brilliant showing from the McLaren drivers, the pressure is still on with Ferrari their closest championship competition. Racing for them for the final time before a move to Williams, Carlos Sainz qualified in third, while Charles Leclerc will start the race at the back of the grid.

  Leclerc had initially qualified in 13th, though saw his lap time in Q2 deleted for exceeding track limits and was given a 10-place grid penalty.

   “I’m going to give it everything, already today I was pushing in qualifying like never before because I wanted pole position and to give myself a good chance for tomorrow as it might be my last battle for a win or a podium for a while," said Sainz.

  “At the same time, I’m enjoying it as much as possible this last weekend, pushing flat out and tomorrow nothing to lose. We will go for it.”

  Norris, meanwhile, was defiant in the hunt for a title.

  "We have got to beat Ferrari. That’s the aim, but we’ve got to do it in style," he said.

  "I want to win. We know what we have to do so we are keeping our heads down and staying focused. We are here to win and anything is possible.

  "Tomorrow we are going to have a good chance at least with one of our cars and we will be giving it everything we’ve got. We know in the back of our minds what we really have to do to achieve our big goal."

  Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton will start 16th on the grid in his final race for Mercedes. Hamilton initially qualified in 18th though was promoted two places owing to penalties for Leclerc and Alex Albon.

  His decisive lap in Q1 had been ruined after his car collected a bollard that had earlier been dislodged by Kevin Magnussen's Haas as he tried to get out of Hamilton's way.

  "You couldn't make it up," said Hamilton, on his bad luck.

• Horner backs Verstappen in 'pantomime' spat with Russell

  Red Bull chief Christian Horner backed Max Verstappen's denial of George Russell's allegations against the four-time world champion before the Qatar Grand Prix last week. 

  Russell escalated his war of words with Verstappen on Thursday ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, calling the Dutchman a "bully" following a stewards meeting.

  Verstappen claimed that Russell's conduct during a stewards' hearing in Qatar, which saw the Dutchman given a grid penalty, made him "lose all respect" for the Mercedes driver. 

  The British driver also accused the four-time world champion of threatening to put him “on your f*****g head in the wall”, a claim Verstappen told Dutch media was not true.

  Verstappen stood by his stance that he found Russell’s attempts to get him a penalty in Qatar unacceptable, and Horner gave his view on the situation on Friday. 

  "Max does nothing but tell the truth, so I believe 100 per cent what he said to be accurate," Horner said. "Of course, there were other people in those steward rooms as well.

  "They also came back and reported that they were quite surprised at the approach that was taken (by Russell)."

  "The thing with Max… He tells you straight, tells you as it is. He never lies, always tells you the truth."

  "A lot's been made of it. It's pantomime season," Horner added. 

  "We are getting ready for Christmas, so there's maybe an element of end of term blues there, but I don't think it will have any effect on the grand prix itself."

  The Red Bull boss also responded to Toto Wolff, after he slammed Horner's leadership, with the Austrian calling him a "yapping little terrier".

  Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Horner was presented with an opportunity to bite back at those remarks. 

  "I'm not going to rise to the bait of that. Everybody manages their teams in different ways. We've won 122 races, 14 world championships - I think we're doing alright," he said. 

  "To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing? They are not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs. I would rather be a terrier than a wolf."

• Ferrari's title hopes take a hit as Leclerc handed grid penalty

  Charles Leclerc has been hit with a 10-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, dealing a significant blow to Ferrari's title hopes.

  Ferrari are 21 points behind McLaren in the Constructors' Championship ahead of the final race of the 2024 Formula One season.

  With 44 points on offer, the Italian team realistically required high finishes from both Leclerc and his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who will be racing for Ferrari for the final time ahead of Lewis Hamilton's arrival next year.

  Ferrari have had to fit a new battery pack to Leclerc's car, meaning they have gone above their permitted allowance for the campaign.

  Leclerc had to wait for almost 30 minutes in the pits during Friday's first practice session, as his team dealt with the battery issue. He eventually went out to drive alongside his brother, Arthur.

  It means Leclerc, who is just eight points behind second-place Lando Norris in the driver standings, must serve up a brilliant qualifying session on Saturday if he is to give himself, and his team, a firm chance of success in Sunday's race.

  Norris' team McLaren are in pole position to take their first Constructors' title since 1998.