max verstappen takes pole in Jeddah

Max Verstappen takes pole position at the Jeddah Grand Prix, clocking a time of 1:27.294 and setting a new lap record. Oscar Piastri finishes in second place just 0.010 seconds behind, and George Russell rounds out the top three.

Photo: Red Bull

In the first part of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first drivers to be eliminated were Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto.In the second half, the eliminated drivers were Alexander Albon, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman.

Already in the final part of qualifying, Lando Norris gave his all on his first attempt at a fast lap, but he pushed the car too hard and lost control entering Turn 5, hitting the wall. This brought out a red flag and ended his qualifying campaign. He will start from tenth place tomorrow.

After the red flag, the session resumed, and Pierre Gasly achieved an impressive qualifying run in the Alpine, finishing ninth. Another Q3 for the French driver, who continues to show solid performance.

Yuki Tsunoda, driving the Red Bull, also managed to get his car into the final part of qualifying, securing a remarkable eighth place. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, despite finishing seventh, continues to have a difficult performance, far off the pace of his teammate Charles Leclerc. The big surprise came from Carlos Sainz, with an incredible qualifying run: another Q3 for the Spanish driver driving the Williams, beating no less than a Red Bull and a Ferrari.

And speaking of surprises, Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes rookie who continues to make waves, placed his car in fifth place, very close to his more experienced teammate, George Russell. He was also the only rookie to make it into the top 10.

On the front row will be Max Verstappen alongside Oscar Piastri, while George Russell and Charles Leclerc will start on the second row.
Qualifying was extremely close between these four drivers: first Russell set the best time, then Piastri snatched it from him, but ultimately it was Max who, with a spectacular lap, took pole by just 0.010 seconds over the Australian.

Top 10

Verstappen

Piastri

Russell

Leclerc

Antonelli

Sainz

Hamilton

Tsunoda

Gasly

Norris