Max Verstappen claimed a brilliant pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with a scintillating qualifying performance that banished pre-race talk about his future. The Dutchman’s session was marred by a crash into the wall during his first run in Q3, but he rebounded to claim top spot ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Verstappen branded himself an “idiot” on the radio after hitting the kerbs at turns four and five and crashing. Despite this emotional outburst, he showed incredible resilience to secure pole position. His teammate Oscar Piastri finished second, with George Russell securing third place for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying form continued to disappoint, as he could only manage seventh place. The starting grid is as follows:
1. Max Verstappen
2. Oscar Piastri
3. George Russell
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Kimi Antonelli
6. Carlos Sainz
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Yuki Tsunoda
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Lando Norris
11. Alex Albon
12. Liam Lawson
13. Fernando Alonso
14. Isack Hadjar
15. Ollie Bearman
16. Lance Stroll
17. Jack Doohan
18. Nico Hulkenberg
19. Esteban Ocon
20. Gabriel Bortoleto
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, April 20, at 6pm BST, and can be watched live on Sky Sports in the UK or ESPN in the US.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/f1-start-time-saudi-arabia-040000800.html