McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton set the new Abu Dhabi circuit alight in qualifying when he set pole positon for the inaugural event here tomorrow evening. Sebastian Vettel will join him on the front row of the grid with Mark Webber third. Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, Nico Rosberg and Sebastien Buemi, rounded out the top ten.

Track temperature was thirty three degrees as the first twenty minute qualifying session got underway with the light fading and the track cooling with every passing minute. Jaime Alguersuari, who missed out on running in the earlier practice session, is the first to set a time as Nico Rosberg runs wide in the Williams. Times are on the board early with Button Raikkonen and Hamilton soon leading the way. Heikki Kovalainen has a moment at turn one as Hamilton tops the timesheets.

Drivers all set their opening times and some need to improve quite a lot, especially the Red Bulls, who are down in the second half of the timing board, Lewis Hamilton is out for a second run and sets the timing screen alight as he becomes the first driver here this weekend to go under the 1:40 mark. Meanwhile, teammate Kovalainen is down in fifteenth and needing to improve in the coming minutes.

Nico Rosberg is in the drop zone with four minutes to go. Vettel moves into P2, Kubica fourth and Kovalainen fifth. Rosberg is out for his final run and he saves the day with a fourth placed time. Grosjean spins, but continues on. Heidfeld goes second but Webber snatches the place for Red Bull momentarily before teammate Sebastian Vettel takes it. Heidfeld reclaims the place with Barrichello now third. Button moves into P2, Trulli third and Kubica fourth.

Eliminated from this session were: Fernando Alonso, Tonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil, Romain Grosjean and Giancarlo Fisichella, with another back row start for Ferrari.

The second session gets underway and Kovalainen is the first man out and sets the opening time with Sebastien Buemi close behind. Lewis Hamilton is out and he sets the timing screen alight once again as he sets the best time of the session, almost a second slower than his time from session one. Vettel is on a flyer but is only seventh. Heikki Kovalainen comes to a halt with a gearbox related issue after setting the third best time and marshals push him out of the way.

The sun is slowing setting as Mark Webber goes tops, almost two tenths faster than Hamilton. Vettel slips into P2 making it a one two for Red Bull at this stage. Vettel goes tops, Button second, but Hamilton is on yet another flyer and he moves back into P1 by three tenths of a second. The McLaren is flying! The session comes to a close and Hamilton stays on top.

Eliminated from this round were: Kimi Raikkonen, Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Nakajima and Alguersuari.

The final top ten shootout for 2009 gets underway with the track ablaze in the early evening. Hamilton is the last man to appear with the other nine on track almost immediately, the McLaren driver waiting three minutes before emerging. Buemi sets the opening time with Heidfeld snatching it away soon after. Vettel then goes second on his first run Trulli now third. Webber goes P1, Barrichello second but Button is the man to watch as he goes tops for Brawn. Lewis Hamilton makes an error and is only fast enough for tenth.

Trulli is now fastest as Barrichello begins his charge, the Brazilian fastest in the first and second  sector and he takes P1 but Hamilton is on a flyer and he crosses the line a tenth ahead of Barrichello with just over a minute remaining. Trulli moves into P2 as Barrichello and Hamilton begin their final laps. Webber goes P1 but Hamilton is still on a charge and he does it by more than half a second on Sebastian Vettel! What a lap!!! Hamilton on pole, Vettel second and Webber third.