Verstappen take pole position at the Saudi GP qualifying
Max Verstappen secured pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc followed in second place, with Sergio Perez completing the top three positions.
Q1
The opening qualifying segment for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen lay down an early marker, setting a blistering 1:28.491 lap time in his Red Bull.
However, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc swiftly responded, snatching the provisional pole with an impressive 1:28.318.
The battle was far from over, as Verstappen refused to be upstaged, reclaiming the top spot with a sublime 1:28.171 effort that pushed Leclerc into second place.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll underscored his team's potential by slotting into a brilliant second, just 0.079s off Verstappen's scorching pace.
The first knockout phase proved unforgiving, with Valtteri Bottas, the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, Logan Sargeant, and the hapless Zhou Guanyu, whose Sauber was severely damaged in a FP3 crash, failing to progress.
Q2
As the qualifying hour progressed into Q2, Verstappen continued to raise the bar, clocking an exceptional 1:28.078 to lead the way, with Fernando Alonso's 1:28.122 in the Aston Martin the closest any rival could muster initially.
Undeterred, the Dutchman chipped away at his benchmark, recording a 1:28.033 on his final run, outpacing Leclerc by 0.079s in second place.
This segment saw the elimination of several high-profile names, including Ferrari's in-at-the-deep-end rookie Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon in the Williams, Kevin Magnussen's Haas, and Daniel Ricciardo in the VCARB.
Nico Hulkenberg's session came to an abrupt end when his Haas ground to a halt just a couple of corners into his first flying lap, briefly red-flagging the proceedings.
Q3
In the top-10 shootout of Q3, Verstappen laid down a marker with an opening salvo of 1:27.472, a full three-tenths quicker than his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Despite Leclerc's valiant effort, the Monegasque could only manage second, a considerable 0.319s adrift of the Dutchman's phenomenal pace.
Fernando Alonso continued to impress, securing fourth after expertly exploiting the tow from Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris impressed in fifth and sixth, respectively, followed by the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Hamilton.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified ninth for VCARB, ahead of Lance Stroll, who rounded out the top ten positions on the grid.
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