Carlos Sainz blamed traffic on his final qualifying lap for a shock exit in Q1 ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver only managed the 16th fastest time in the first segment of qualifying at Yas Marina, being dumped out by Sergio Perez's last lap to move the Red Bull driver into Q2. Sainz's final attempt moved him 0.002s clear of the drop-zone, but Perez was able to clear him as track evolution ramped up in the closing stages of the segment. The elimination puts a dent in Ferrari's hopes of overhauling Mercedes for second in the Constructors', with the Scuderia currently trailing by four points. Sainz was joined in being eliminated by Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant. Sargeant's final lap would have been good enough to see him through, but the Williams driver's time was deleted for track limits at Turn 1. It means he must appeal to the stewards for permission to race after not setting a time in qualifying as his first lap was also deleted.
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