Verstappen secured his seventh pole position of the 2022 campaign with two laps that were good enough for the top spot, ultimately setting a 1m23.824s that was 0.228s quicker than his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
That came despite a "scare" when his car shut down ahead of his first Q3 run.
Double world champion Verstappen has pledged to help Perez in his battle for second in the standings with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who will start third alongside stablemate Carlos Sainz.
After its best weekend of the season in Brazil, Mercedes could only lock out the third row with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in what team boss Toto Wolff called "one to put in the toilet".
As Lando Norris (McLaren) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) shared the fourth row, retiring four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel set himself up for a strong final F1 race with a decent effort to secure ninth on the grid for Aston Martin.
Daniel Ricciardo also secured a Q3 place on his last appearance for McLaren, but has a three-place grid drop for his clash with Kevin Magnussen at the Brazilian Grand Prix last time out, meaning the man who will replace Vettel next year - outgoing Alpine driver Fernando Alonso - will start alongside him in tenth.
Yuki Tsunoda is elevated to 11th for AlphaTauri ahead of Mick Schumacher in his final race for Haas and Ricciardo, while Pierre Gasly will line up 17th in his final start with AlphaTauri before joining Ocon at Alpine next season.
When is the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
- Date: Sunday 20th November 2022
- Start time: 1:00pm GMT, 5:00pm local time
The 22nd round of the 2022 F1 season, the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina circuit, gets underway at 5:00pm local time (1:00pm GMT) on Sunday 20th November.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £33.99p per month.
How can I watch the F1 Abu Dhabi GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Abu Dhabi GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will be starting at 11:30am on Sky Sports F1 and 12:30pm on Sky Sports Main Event, ahead of the race start at 1:00pm GMT.
- Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
- Start time: 11:30am GMT on Sky Sports F1, 12:30pm GMT on Sky Sports Main Event, Sunday 20thNovember 2022
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Abu Dhabi GP here.
When can I watch the F1 Abu Dhabi GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Abu Dhabi GP at 5:30pm GMT on Sunday. The full programme will run for two-and-a-half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
- Channel: Channel 4
- Start time: 5:30pm GMT, Sunday 20th November 2022
Will the F1 Abu Dhabi GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Abu Dhabi GP will start at 1:00pm GMT on BBC Radio 5 Live and on the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Current weather forecasts predict hot and dry conditions at the Yas Marina circuit, with a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 29 degrees Celsius for the start of the race, one degree warmer than the Brazilian GP last time out.
How many laps is the F1 Abu Dhabi GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 58 laps at the Yas Marina circuit, covering a total race distance of 306.183km.
F1 Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'23.824 | |
| 2 |  Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'24.052 | 0.228 |
| 3 |  Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'24.092 | 0.268 |
| 4 |  Carlos Sainz |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'24.242 | 0.418 |
| 5 |  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'24.508 | 0.684 |
| 6 | George Russell |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'24.511 | 0.687 |
| 7 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'24.769 | 0.945 |
| 8 |  Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | Renault | 1'24.830 | 1.006 |
| 9 |  Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'24.961 | 1.137 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | Renault | 1'25.096 | 1.272 |
| 11 |  Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'25.219 | 1.395 |
| 12 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'25.225 | 1.401 |
| 13 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'25.045 | 1.221 |
| 14 |  Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'25.359 | 1.535 |
| 15 |  Zhou Guanyu |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'25.408 | 1.584 |
| 16 |  Kevin Magnussen |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'25.834 | 2.010 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'25.859 | 2.035 |
| 18 |  Valtteri Bottas |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'25.892 | 2.068 |
| 19 |  Alex Albon |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'26.028 | 2.204 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'26.054 | 2.230 |
| View full results | |||||
