#F1 #SaudiArabianGP Qualifying: @Max33Verstappen pips @OscarPiastri to pole by 0.010s.

Verstappen Saudi Arabian GP Pole – Reigning world champion Max Verstappen blitzed the lap record pipping McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to pole position in an intense qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP as championship leader Lando Norris crashes out in the other MCL39 entry in Q3 meaning the Briton will start tenth.

This was the Dutchman’s 42^nd pole position of his career.

In Q3, the initial flying laps saw Piastri first to post a 1:27.560 just before the red flag at eight minutes and 32 seconds as his team-mate Norris suffered a shunt into the wall at the exit of turn five.

Replays showed the Briton took the throttle too hard and the kerb also as the MCL39 steering-locked to the left and snapped into the wall damaging his front left.

After the MCL39 was cleared, the session went green and Piastri, the two Mercedes, Ferrari’s and Tsunoda remained In the garage to do one timed-lap as Verstappen emerged to do two.

The Dutchman scored two purples in sectors one and three to pip Piastri’s provisional pole effort by only 0.001 seconds with a solid 1:27.559.

Williams’ Sainz ended up third and 1.589 seconds adrift with his effort.

Mercedes’ Russell was next up with the quickest sector one and an ok middle sector and eclipses Verstappen’s time to post a 1:27.407 to go 0.152 seconds faster.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sir Lewis Hamilton ended up fourth and sixth.

Piastri was up on his final flyer setting the personal best in the opening sector, and an ok middle sector as the Australian hit a brilliant sector three to set a 1:27.304 and go on pole briefly by 0.103 seconds until Verstappen arrived on the scene with a purples in sector one to pip Piastri for pole by a slim 0.010 seconds and break the lap record with a 1:27.294.

Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Williams’ Sainz split the Ferrari pairing to shuffle Hamilton down to seventh.

Red Bull’s Tsunoda was eighth as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and the aforementioned Norris rounded out the top ten.

In the middle segment, which was topped by Norris, a late improvement from Red Bull’s Tsunoda eliminated Williams’ Alexander Albon who will start the Saudi Arabian GP 11^th as the Thai-Briton driver just missed out on a Q3 appearance by a very narrow 0.007 seconds.

Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson improved but was demoted following Hamilton and Tsunoda’s flyers to end up 12^th.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso could only jumped to 13^th on his final hot-lap as the other Racing Bulls entry of Isack Hadjar and Haas’s Oliver Bearman ended up the slowest runners in Q2 taking 14^th and 15^th respectively.

In the opening qualifying stage, which was topped by Verstappen, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was the quickest of the Q1 eliminatees wounding up 16^th and missed out on a Q2 appearance by seven hundredths of a second.

BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Jack Doohan followed in 17^th and in-front of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who took 18^th.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto brought up the rear as the latter suffered a big moment at turn one, ending up in the run-off area.

You can see the full Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025 Qualifying Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1258/saudi-arabia/qualifying

2025 Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying – The Top Three

2025 Saudi Arabian GP Pole Position – Max Verstappen, #1, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Honda-RBPT, RB21 – 1:27.294:

“Very happy! I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here. The car came alive in the night, we made some final changes, and it was more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me. I think tomorrow in the race, it will be tough to keep them behind, but we’ll give it a good go.”

2^nd Place – Oscar Piastri, #81, McLaren Formula 1 Team, Mercedes, MCL39 – 1:27.304:

“There wasn’t much more left in it, so happy with the lap I did. The last lap felt like more or less the best I could have done. Max did a good job at another high-speed circuit, where they seem to do well. It’s tough around here, once you fall out of rhythm it is hard to get back into it. It’s a difficult track for sure, but at night, soft tyres, high grip – it is one of the best tracks we go to.”

3^rd Place – George Russell, #63, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, F1 W16 – 1:227.407:

“Before the session I would have been happy with P3, but seeing how close it is… You always think there is a little more in it. It was a tricky session with the red flag, that one lap at the end was all that counted. P3, great place to start and a long race tomorrow.”

2025 F1 World Championship Standings