Nico Rosberg: “I came here to be on pole”

Lewis Hamilton keeps alive his faint hopes of another world title with pole position in the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Three-time World champion Lewis Hamilton set the stage for a dramatic final race of the Formula One season when he grabbed pole over nemesis and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, in final qualifying at Yas Marina here Saturday.

Rosberg, who starts second to his team-mate, leads by 12 points and needs only to finish in the top three to be champion.

“I’ve come here to try to be on pole and try and win the race tomorrow”, Rosberg said.

According to Wolff, Mercedes’ non-executive chairman and former world champion Niki Lauda was relieved to see exciting but erratic Red Bull driver Max Verstappen back in sixth place on the grid. “I don’t think that’s the way Nico operates and it would certainly not look very good”. Lewis just did a good job.

Hamilton reminded Ricciardo of the Australian’s “winner, victor chicken dinner” catchphrase and said he wanted to hear it on Sunday – but with the Red Bull driver one of those behind him and ahead of Rosberg.

And brooding F1 title leader Rosberg said: “Why should I shake his hand?” As qualifying went on I felt better and better and got a good lap in at the end in Q3, but not good enough.

It’s been a long old F1 season, and we might reasonably have expected the driver’s title race to have been won by now. “Oh, by far it would be the greatest, it would be the greatest achievement of my career for sure”, he said.

“Hopefully we’ll have a similar feeling in qualifying and put the vehicle where it belongs”. If Hamilton finishes second, Rosberg mush finish seventh or lower.

Verstappen was fourth after dark, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel third despite pulling over 10 minutes from the end.

The Austrian is, however, confident the drivers can avoid taking each other out of Sunday’s race at Yas Marina.

But where the two men really differ is in their public approaches to the title fight, from Hamilton’s heart-on-sleeve burning passion that used to manifest itself in the odd bit of “win or wall” behaviour, to Rosberg’s “one race at a time” approach to the title.

Indeed Hamilton, fastest in both practice sessions on Friday, was only fourth with Rosberg fifth in the order.

“It’s an emotional time, I’m here to try and do him proud, do well for him as he had helped prepare me and the belief he had in me”.

Jenson Button says he “enjoyed” what could be his last ever Formula 1 qualifying session, despite missing out on a spot in the final top-ten shoot-out alongside team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Fernando Alonso only needed fourth at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to be champion, but a safety vehicle period on Lap 1 allowed a number of midfield drivers to pit early, and they vaulted ahead of the Spaniard when he pitted later in the race.

Although the underdog, Hamilton has won the last three races and can count on strong support judging from the banners around the circuit.