JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The exhilarating tension of Formula 1 was on full display at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Lando Norris’s pursuit of a pole position ended in a dramatic crash, highlighting the razor-thin margins in the sport. On the contrary, Max Verstappen, reigning Formula 1 champion, adeptly remained within these margins to secure the prime spot on the grid.
Norris, the current leader in the standings, suffered an incident on Saturday that allowed Verstappen to start Sunday’s race in the leading position. Verstappen, representing Red Bull, seized the pole position narrowly outperforming McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.01 seconds on his final attempt. Mercedes’ George Russell recorded the third-fastest time, trailing by .113 seconds.
Reflecting on his unexpected achievement, Verstappen expressed mild surprise at his performance given the challenges he faced in the previous race in Bahrain, coupled with ongoing discussions about his future with Red Bull. He noted that strategic changes to the car’s setup significantly enhanced its performance but remained cautious about translating his pole position into a victory, akin to his triumph in Japan.
He remarked, “Achieving the first position in qualifying is certainly ideal for tomorrow. Nevertheless, the real challenge will be maintaining that lead during the race, but we’re prepared to push hard.”
In Bahrain, Verstappen faced issues with overheating tires and brakes, and his performance lagged in the hotter daytime conditions during practice in Saudi Arabia. With Sunday’s night race conditions akin to those in qualifying, the uncertainty looms regarding how the Red Bull vehicle will cope with the heat over an extended distance.
Japan’s track configuration, known for limiting overtaking opportunities, worked to Verstappen’s favor, enabling him to keep rivals Norris and Piastri at bay. In contrast, the Jeddah circuit features three zones for deploying the DRS overtaking aid—a marked difference that Piastri considers favorable.
Historically, Verstappen has claimed victory in two of four F1 races held in Saudi Arabia, with the pole sitter winning three of those. Russell emphasized a crucial strategy would be to prevent Piastri from overtaking early and if successful, maintain control over the pace as seen in Bahrain.
Russell articulated, “Max and I understand McLaren’s standout performance and their tendency to outpace the rest. Should Oscar take the lead, the outcome may echo Bahrain’s race. However, preserving our qualifying positions offers a closely contested race up to the pit stops.”
Norris, due to the crash, qualified in 10th place. Without setting a time in the critical third segment, he lost control navigating a curb, veering into the wall and damaging his car’s suspension—leading to a temporary halt of the session until the McLaren was cleared.
Post-accident, a visit to the medical center cleared him, and a disappointed Norris conveyed intentions to aim for a top-five finish on Sunday. Speaking to Sky Sports, he stated, “I’ll consult my engineers to apologize and strategize for tomorrow, hoping for a bit of luck.”
Norris maintains a three-point lead over teammate Piastri after four events yet doesn’t feel he is optimizing his capabilities due to discomfort with the car. Verstappen trails by eight points.
Ferrari’s standing showed mixed results, with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth and Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Hamilton narrowly escaped elimination in the second qualifying part by only a .007-second margin to enter the top-10 showdown.
Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda qualified in eighth place, marking his third race as Verstappen’s teammate since taking over from Liam Lawson at Red Bull.