Under the night skies of Jeddah, Max Verstappen stunned the paddock to snatch a sensational pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, edging out Oscar Piastri by the finest of margins.
With McLaren entering the weekend as the clear favourites after a dominant showing in practice, it looked as though Piastri and Lando Norris might be the ones to lock out the front row. However, Qualifying turned into a dramatic three-part contest that ended with yet another masterclass from the reigning world champion.
Q1 – Early drama and tight margins
Drivers emerged swiftly to take advantage of the cooler evening air, hoping to lay down a strong banker lap early in the session. Esteban Ocon set the first time of the night, but he was quickly displaced by a flurry of competitive laps.
McLaren’s Norris laid down an early marker with a 1:28.026, while Piastri followed close behind, confirming the Woking-based team’s strong form. Verstappen slotted into P2, just +0.122 off Norris, as drivers jostled for space on the narrow Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Yuki Tsunoda also looked competitive, lapping within half a second of his Red Bull teammate.
As the session wore on, grip levels improved and the pressure rose on those at the back. Pierre Gasly and Lawson narrowly scraped through, while Jack Doohan and Ollie Bearman were left frustrated after their final efforts fell short. A spin from Gabriel Bortoleto brought out a brief yellow flag, sealing his early exit from Qualifying.
Eliminated in Q1:
- Lance Stroll (P16)
- Jack Doohan (P17)
- Nico Hülkenberg (P18)
- Esteban Ocon (P19)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (P20)
Q2 – Verstappen striked as Albon missed out
The remaining 15 drivers returned to the Saudi Arabian track for Q2, with many choosing scrubbed soft tyres to begin with, saving their fresh sets for a final flyer. Alex Albon set the initial benchmark, but it was soon eclipsed by Piastri with a 1:27.690. Verstappen then responded with a strong lap of 1:27.529, before Norris pipped both with a 1:27.481.
The battle for the top ten intensified in the final minutes. Tsunoda produced a brilliant lap to vault himself into P7, while Kimi Antonelli impressed by going fifth fastest. Sainz, in arguably his strongest showing yet for Williams, clinched P6. Sadly for Albon, despite a commendable effort, he was eliminated by just 0.007 seconds – narrowly missing out on his first Q3 appearance in Jeddah.
Eliminated in Q2:
- Alex Albon (P11)
- Liam Lawson (P12)
- Fernando Alonso (P13)
- Isack Hadjar (P14)
- Ollie Bearman (P15)
Q3 – Red Flag chaos and Verstappen’s heroics
The final stage of Qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP began with high expectations for a McLaren front-row lockout, but disaster struck within minutes. Lando Norris clipped the kerb at Turn 5, sending his car into the wall and bringing out a red flag. The Briton had yet to set a time, and with too much damage sustained, he would go no further. Though unhurt, Norris was left visibly frustrated after showing front-running pace all weekend.
After a lengthy pause, the session resumed with nine cars left to challenge for pole. Oscar Piastri set a solid time of 1:27.560 but complained of rear-end rotation issues on right-hand corners. Verstappen, despite reporting low grip into Turn 1, responded with a time of 1:27.559, just one-thousandth of a second quicker.
The drama was far from over. George Russell put in a mighty lap of 1:27.407 to take provisional pole, but the Red Bull and remaining McLaren driver still had one final chance. Piastri lit up the first sector purple before Verstappen went even quicker, nailing the final two sectors and delivering a lap of 1:27.294 to take his 42nd career pole by just 0.010 seconds.
Q3 Top 10 Classification:
- Max Verstappen – 1:27.294
- Oscar Piastri – +0.010
- George Russell – +0.113
- Charles Leclerc – +0.376
- Kimi Antonelli – +0.572
- Carlos Sainz – +0.870
- Lewis Hamilton – +0.907
- Yuki Tsunoda – +0.910
- Pierre Gasly – +1.073
- Lando Norris – No Time
