After the final practice session at the Jeddah circuit, it was time to focus on qualifying in Saudi Arabia. Max Verstappen claimed his second pole position of the season, ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
A simply lovely qualifying session – Under the lights of the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen secured his second pole of the season with a time of 1:27.294, mirroring the dynamic seen at Suzuka. The Dutchman will share the front row with Oscar Piastri, who now has a golden opportunity to overtake his teammate in the battle for the Drivers’ Championship. Behind them, George Russell and Charles Leclerc will line up on the second row. Starting from the third row will be Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz in P5 and P6 respectively. Rounding out the top ten for tomorrow’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – which begins at 19:00 (Italian time) – are Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda, followed by Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris, who suffered a costly crash at the start of Q3 and will need to fight his way back up the grid
Live Coverage – Saudi Arabia GP Qualifying Highlights
20:10 – MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX! The Dutchman will start from the front for the second time this year. Charles Leclerc finishes fourth, followed by Kimi Antonelli, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and Yuki Tsunoda.
20:07 – Just over two minutes remain in Saturday’s action. George Russell puts in a lap of 1:27.407, briefly snatching provisional pole from the reigning world champion. But Oscar Piastri isn’t done – he reclaims the top spot shortly after.
20:01 – Q3 resumes! Max Verstappen puts in a 1:27.559, taking provisional pole. On track with him is Carlos Sainz, who slots into third between the two McLarens.
19:51 – RED FLAG! Lando Norris crashes – a major twist in this weekend’s events at Jeddah. The British driver will start from 10th. The only driver to set a time before the session was halted was his teammate, who now has a huge opportunity to take the championship lead.
19:49 – Oscar Piastri wastes no time and heads straight out on fresh tyres, followed by his teammate.
19:48 – The final push for the fifth pole of the season begins. Q3 is underway.
19:40 – Lewis Hamilton narrowly squeezes into Q3 with the 10th fastest time, saved by just seven-thousandths of a second. Eliminated are Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, and Oliver Bearman.
19:39 – George Russell climbs to P3 before being bumped down to P4 by Oscar Piastri. Kimi Antonelli slots into fifth, ahead of Carlos Sainz and his former Ferrari teammate.
19:36 – Back on track with four minutes to go. Alex Albon temporarily saves himself with P6. Pierre Gasly now needs to improve to advance. Norris and Verstappen remain in the garage.
19:31 – Charles Leclerc moves into P5, ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton. Up front, Lando Norris leads Q2. All drivers return to the pits. At this stage, Alex Albon is the first to miss out on Q3.
19:30 – Carlos Sainz flies to a 1:28.309, only to be beaten by Oscar Piastri, who leads by 0.619 seconds. But it’s Max Verstappen who dominates once again, setting the fastest lap of the session.
19:26 – Alex Albon is first out on track in Q2, followed by Oliver Bearman. All remaining drivers queue up in the pit lane. Albon’s first timed lap is a 1:28.581.
19:25 – Lance Stroll remains in the car, awaiting confirmation on potential track limits. Q2 begins.
19:19 – Q1 ends with Max Verstappen on top, followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Eliminated: Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
19:18 – Pierre Gasly brushes the wall exiting the final corner, but salvages P9.
19:16 – Kimi Antonelli briefly takes P3 behind the two Papaya cars. Max Verstappen then rockets to the top with a 1:27.778. Antonelli drops to P4 ahead of Alex Albon and his teammate.
19:14 – Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Hamilton sit in P8 and P10 respectively, with the Monegasque ahead. Three minutes to go.
19:10 – With seven minutes left in Q1, Gasly is on the bubble while Liam Lawson is just safe. Hamilton is in the drop zone. Norris improves to 1:27.805. Most of the field, including the two Red Bulls and Mercedes, head back to the pits for fresh tyres.
19:08 – The Silver Arrows finish their first runs with Russell in P4 and Antonelli in P7.
19:06 – Max Verstappen crosses the line just behind the leader. Oscar Piastri beats his teammate by just 0.007s to take the lead.
19:05 – Lando Norris wastes no time on track and sets a 1:28.026. Charles Leclerc follows but is 0.536s slower.
19:03 – Esteban Ocon sets the first benchmark with a 1:29.934. Russell and Antonelli have yet to appear.
19:00 – GREEN LIGHT! Qualifying for the fifth round of the season is underway. The two Haas drivers are the first out, while the McLarens and Ferraris stay in the garage.
18:49 – Just over 10 minutes remain until the start of Q1 in Saudi Arabia. The mood at McLaren is relaxed, while Ferrari introduces several updates for the Jeddah race weekend.
17:32 – Lights out for qualifying at 19:00. Full live coverage on Sky Sport F1 and streaming on Now. A free-to-air delayed broadcast will air on TV8 at 21:30. Stay tuned here for live updates from the final Saturday session of the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The Jeddah circuit is set to host the qualifying session that will determine the pole sitter for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which gets underway tomorrow at 19:00 (Italian time). After the third and final practice session, there’s little doubt left — McLaren is the team to beat this season. Lando Norris clocked a time of 1:27.489 in FP3, just 17 thousandths of a second off Max Verstappen’s pole time from last year. Will the two Papaya-liveried drivers put on a show in Saudi Arabia as they chase pole position?
Scuderia Ferrari, particularly with Charles Leclerc, could be in contention for a potential podium finish; the Monegasque driver, behind the wheel of car #16, has consistently outpaced his teammate both in qualifying trim and race pace. As for this weekend, Lewis Hamilton still appears to be adapting to the SF-25 and his new race engineer, having failed to finish higher than eighth in any of the three free practice sessions at Jeddah. Special attention should also be given to George Russell in the W16, who might become a serious threat to Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.
Photo: LN4, Scuderia Ferrari HP.
