HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Max Verstappen takes pole position ahead of the title showdown with Lewis Hamilton

Saturday night saw a stunning pole position from Red Bull's championship hopeful Max Verstappen as he ensured he would start ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

You might be aware by now but the Abu Dhabi GP decides the title after a riveting, rollercoaster 2021 season that has seen Hamilton and Verstappen fight wheel-to-wheel and end up level on points after 21 races.

Therefore this final qualifying session was all the more crucial, and it was Verstappen who gained the advantage with a benchmark of 1m 22.109s, leaving Hamilton second and remarking that his rival "deserved" his 13th pole of the season.

READ MORE: Verstappen denies Perez tow only reason he took pole in Abu Dhabi as he looks ahead to crucial title showdown

Lando Norris qualified third – ahead of Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc – as the McLaren driver gave himself a brilliant view of the action ahead.

While Yuki Tsunoda made it to Q3, his AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly was eliminated in Q2 – while Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell and Kimi Raikkonen qualified further back as they prepare to move to new horizons in 2022.

Watch the action from 2021's last qualifying session in the player above.