DOOHAN TICKS THE FIRST BOX

Jack Doohan is ready for his first race start in Formula One after qualifying a solid 0.557 behind his Alpine team mate Pierre Gasly in Abu Dhabi.

He was much closer, just 0.026 seconds behind, in the third practice session but could not match the effort when it was time to set the grid.

"Not satisfied with the result, but it was a session of learning," Doohan said after qualifying.

He will line up in 17th position for his first grand prix once penalties have been applied, while Gasly will come out of fifth.

The other Aussie in the field, Oscar Piastri, qualified second quickest as McLaren completed a qualifying lock-out with Lando Norris on pole and Carlos Sainz in third for Ferrari.

"We knew coming into Abu Dhabi it would be a learning weekend for Jack and he’s shown promise and grown in confidence with each session. I know he probably wanted a little more out of it, but it’s great learning for next year and I'm sure he can make progress in the race tomorrow," said Oliver Oakes, team Principal at Alpine.