'The car came alive' – Verstappen pips Piastri to Jeddah pole
Max Verstappen snatched pole position for Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Lando Norris crashed out in Jeddah.
The four-time world champion claimed his second pole of the season, having also started at the front of the grid in Suzuka a fortnight ago, as he pipped Oscar Piastri by just 0.01 seconds.
Verstappen also made it back-to-back poles in Saudi Arabia, with Mercedes' George Russell joining him on the front row.
Drivers' championship leader Norris will start 10th after spinning and crashing into a wall during the first runs in Q3.
Just ahead of the Briton will be Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly in eighth and ninth, respectively.
Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli will start in fourth and fifth, while Carlos Sainz took sixth place and Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, despite two elimination scares.
"I'm very happy," Verstappen said. "I didn’t expect to be on pole here after FP3 and looking at how the week was, but the car came alive in the night. We made some final changes, and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive.
"It's really satisfying to be here in first in qualifying. It's the best position for tomorrow, even though I think in the race, it will be tough to keep them behind, but we're going to give it a good go.
"I'm just very happy that, again, we had a solid qualifying, much better than in Bahrain, so let's see what we can do."
A tantalising grid is set!
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2025
Here's how the field will line up for tomorrow's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/SHGqzSMob6
Russell, meanwhile, had "mixed feelings" about his drive after placing third.
"I’ve [got] a little bit mixed feelings, to be honest, because I went quite conservative on my out-lap with my tyres," he explained.
"Because it was my one and only lap and I had no banker on the board, I just felt that if I made a small mistake at Turn 1 or a lock-up, I’d have been down in P10. And usually, your last lap in Q3, you’re fully, fully sending it.
"I thought I needed to go a bit hotter with my tyres, just to ensure there’s no mistakes at Turn 1, and it cost me in the last sector. I lost a tenth and a half from myself on the last sector.
"The lap otherwise was great. It’s thrilling around here, and you’re so close to a mistake at any point. But P3 is probably more than we could have hoped for."
TOP 10
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
6. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Lando Norris (McLaren)