Norris takes pole for season-ending Abu Dhabi GP and Hamilton 18th in Mercedes farewell

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — McLaren's 26-year wait for a Formula 1 constructors' title could soon be over. Lewis Hamilton's time with Mercedes is set to end on a low.

Lando Norris took pole position for the last Formula 1 race of the season Saturday alongside teammate Oscar Piastri to put McLaren on the verge of winning the lucrative prize for teams for the first time since 1998.

While Norris couldn't stop Max Verstappen retaining the drivers' title, he said winning the constructors' championship with McLaren means a lot.

“It was hard just to break that barrier of getting close to Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, because for such a long period of time they’ve been the guys who have dominated Formula 1,” he said.

Norris has been with McLaren since his F1 debut in 2019 and didn't win a race until this year. He said Saturday that he'd had offers over that time from teams that could have given him a shot at winning races earlier, but he wanted to stay and turn around McLaren, one of F1's most storied teams.

“I had those opportunities, but I believed and I wanted to simply do it with McLaren. I wanted to do it with the guys who gave me my opportunity in Formula 1,” he said.

Norris' last lap made him .209 of a second faster than Piastri, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. .020 further back. Nico Hulkenberg was a surprise fourth for Haas — but later got a three-place grid penalty for overtaking in the pit exit tunnel — and champion Max Verstappen fifth.

Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc was 14th in the second part of qualifying and already has a 10-place grid penalty, likely ending Ferrari's hopes of overhauling McLaren's 21-point lead in the constructors' standings.

It was always a “mission impossible” for Ferrari to win the title even before Leclerc hit problems, Sainz said, “but until the checkered flag comes down tomorrow, anything can happen and I’m going to keep fighting for whatever comes.”

The constructors' title comes with a big financial reward for teams. The prize money varies but is typically worth around $140 million.

Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton is set to start his last race with Mercedes from 18th on the grid after a bizarre incident wrecked his final qualifying lap.

A plastic pole marking the inside of a corner was knocked loose by Kevin Magnussen's Haas and Hamilton drove over it, leaving the object jammed under his Mercedes.

Hamilton was already among the slowest in the first part of qualifying and he was eliminated shortly after.

“I messed that up big time, guys," Hamilton told the team over the radio.

Hamilton is moving to Ferrari for 2025 after 12 years with Mercedes, where he won six drivers' titles.

His 246th and last race with Mercedes comes in a season in which Hamilton has won twice — including an emotional victory at his home British Grand Prix — but also been frustrated by a run of poor results. Hamilton has been largely outclassed by his teammate George Russell in recent races and struggled with penalties and a puncture last week in Qatar.

The newest driver on the grid in Abu Dhabi, Alpine's Jack Doohan, qualified last on debut after replacing Esteban Ocon ahead of a full season with Alpine next year.

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Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, front, and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain leave the pit lane during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain creates sparks as his car touches the track during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain creates sparks as his car touches the track during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain in action during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, left, talks to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain after winning the pole position during the qualifying for the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hamad I Mohammed, Pool)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)