by The second Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season is getting hot!
In qualifying in Jeddah, the starting grid for the race on Sunday was determined. World Champion Max Verstappen was once again the favorite for pole position, because the Dutchman dominated all training sessions in the Red Bull at will. But: In Q2, the 25-year-old’s car suddenly went on strike, meaning that he had to call it a day early.
Team-mate Sergio Perez seized the opportunity to grab the second pole of his career. Fernando Alonso advanced due to Charles Leclerc’s penalty and started alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row. SPORT1 has the qualifying to read.
+++ Goodbye! +++
That’s it from qualifying in Saudi Arabia! Because Max Verstappen needs to catch up from far behind, an exciting race is imminent on Sunday. At 6 p.m. (CET) tomorrow in Jeddah things get down to business.
+++ Hamilton weakens +++
Behind the top trio are George Russell and Carlos Sainz. They are followed by Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon in sixth and seventh, respectively, who beat Lewis Hamilton. Oscar Piastri can look forward to his first Q3 entry ever and is ultimately Neuter ahead of Pierre Gasly.
+++ Perez stays ahead! +++
There are no more shifts afterwards either! Sergio Perez also secures his first pole position of the season. Charles Leclerc improved again in second place, but had to drop ten places on the starting grid. So Fernando Alonso will complete the front row tomorrow.
+++ Alonso misses the Poles +++
Time is up and Fernando Alonso is making a final attempt! After the first two sectors, the Spaniard is only a little more than a tenth behind Sergio Perez, but then he has to let go and ends up in second place.
+++ Can Perez be beaten? +++
Anyone else come close to Sergio Perez’s time? The two Aston Martins with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are currently only in positions four and five. Behind them, Lewis Hamilton is sixth.
+++ Perez outperforms Leclerc +++
However, there are increasing signs that Red Bull will still be unbeatable once again. At Sergio Perez, the engine power is now apparently being turned up to the max, which means that the Mexican quickly puts half a second ahead of Charles Leclerc.
+++ Leclerc sets the best time +++
And then Charles Leclerc started with a big exclamation mark! The Ferrari driver sets a lap time of 1:28.757 minutes and submits. However, the Monegasse WILL be moved back by ten places afterwards. George Russell follows in second.
+++ Who gets the pole position? +++
Now the decision is made! Who can seize the moment and benefit from Max Verstappen’s absence? In addition to his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, even Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin probably has the best cards.
+++ Hulkenberg misses Q3 by a hair’s breadth +++
The clock is up, can Nico Hulkenberg still make it into Q3? No, unfortunately not! Pierre Gasly displaces the German by four hundredths, so Hülkenberg is in 11th place. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, jumps far ahead and pushes out Guanyu Zhou, Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen. It also hit Max Verstappen, who was unable to do anything due to his technical problems.
+++ Also Sainz under the line +++
This means that only four more drivers will be eliminated at the end of Q2. The unloved places are currently held by Carlos Sainz, Guanyu Zhou, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg.
+++ Verstappen is out! +++
It can go that fast! Max Verstappen actually looked unbeatable in the fight for pole position, now the Dutchman has to retire and will only start tomorrow’s race from 15th position.
+++ Time at Hülkenberg canceled +++
Bitter! As the only German driver in the field, Nico Hülkenberg is working on getting into Q3. But then he extends the track limits and tumbles back from fourth to 14th place.
+++ Problem with Verstappen! +++
What’s going on? First, Max Verstappen had to take countermeasures in the fast section of the track and break off his lap, then the Dutchman suddenly drove slowly over the course and reported a problem on the radio. Apparently his car no longer has a drive.
+++ Alonso at the top +++
The first times from Q2 are arriving. Fernando Alonso burns the best time into the asphalt, which is initially not beaten by anyone. Lance Stroll cannot keep up with the pace of his teammates and is almost five tenths behind the Spaniard. Charles Leclerc is in second place between the two Aston Martins.
+++ Let’s go! +++
The traffic lights are green again, the second part of qualifying is underway! Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz enter the course first. So far, the team from Maranello has not been able to shine and has preferred to find itself in midfield.
+++ Q1 is over +++
The final laps begin and it gets really tight in the back! While Lando Norris can no longer drive out, Pierre Gasly saves himself and jumps forward. On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda, Nyck De Vries, Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant are also eliminated. At the top are the Red Bull von Verstappen and Perez in front of both Aston Martin.
+++ Sargeant turns, Norris probably out +++
And this time Logan Sargeant turns away! The Williams driver is also able to continue, but disrupts a fast lap by Nico Hülkenberg, who is in ninth place. For Lando Norris, however, the working day is probably over. The Briton just hit the wall slightly, and now the mechanics are happily working on his car.
+++ Norris and Gasly in danger +++
Five minutes remain on the clock in Q1. Currently, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Nyck De Vries, Pierre Gasly and Logan Sargeant occupy the last five spots and would be eliminated as things stand.
+++ Alonso triggers yellow flag +++
Fernando Alonso also has a small problem! The Spaniard pressed the accelerator too early on the exit of turn two and also spun.
+++ Red Bull in front of Haas +++
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen turns a first fast lap and takes the lead ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. The Red Bull duo is followed by the two Haas from Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
+++ Turner by De Vries +++
After a few moments, the yellow flags will be waved for the first time! Nyck De Vries lost control of his car when braking for turn one – but he can continue.
+++ Verstappen dominates free practice +++
In the last free practice session, Max Verstappen clearly showed that he will also be difficult to beat in Saudi Arabia. (DATA: The Drivers’ Championship of Formula 1)
In the third session in Jeddah, the Dutchman turned the fastest time in 1:28.485 minutes.
His teammate Sergio Perez was second, but he was already 0.6 seconds behind Verstappen. The second best car seems to be the surprisingly strong Aston Martin again. Fernando Alonso finished third in practice three.
Still, Verstappen seems to be in his own league. Alonso was a second behind Verstappen. Lance Stroll was fourth.
+++ Leclerc is transferred as a penalty +++
After the disappointing first Grand Prix in Bahrain, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was at least able to distance himself from the Ferrari in practice. Hamilton leads just ahead of Charles Leclerc in fifth place. (DATA: The team ranking of Formula 1)
The Monegasque leads solidly in training. He will definitely start from far behind in Sunday’s race.
Due to the repeated change of drive components, he is moved back ten places on the starting grid.
