F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen to start 15th as George Russell beats Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen was denied the chance to fight for pole position due to a mechanical failure in Q2 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Saudi Motorsport make further changes to Jeddah Corniche F1 Circuit
Sergio Perez managed to claim pole position for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen suffered a mechanical failure to damage his hopes of challenging for victory at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The Dutchman was the heavy favourite to clock the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday but was unable to set a meaningful lap in Q2, which means that he will start from 15th position when the five red lights go out on Sunday.
Verstappen's absence sparked a multi-car scrap for pole in Q3, with Perez eventually coming out on top thanks to a near-flawless lap at the start of the session. He will be followed off the line on Sunday by second-placed Charles Leclerc, with Fernando Alonso set to begin from just behind in third position.
It was also a difficult session for Lewis Hamilton, who could only manage eighth after he was beaten by Mercedes team-mate George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon. The seven-time world champion saw his final lap time deleted for a breach of track limits and will certainly have his work cut out to challenge for a podium finish in Jeddah over the course of Sunday's 50-lap contest.
Follow Express Sport's live updates from qualifying below...
KEY EVENTS
- PEREZ TAKES POLE!18:02
- End of Q217:42
- End of Q117:20
Goodbye
That's all we've got time for this evening.
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of today's events at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez claiming pole position in the absence of Max Verstappen at the end of an intriguing qualifying session in Jeddah.
We'll be back for the race tomorrow, with the five red lights set to go out at 5pm. See you then!
Just two legendary defenders holding the @pirellisport Pole Position Award \ud83d\ude09@Evra presents @SChecoPerez with the second of his career!#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/wc3yhWT8F4
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Q3 results
1. Sergio Perez
2. Charles Leclerc (10-place grid penalty)
3. Fernando Alonso
4. George Russell
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Lance Stroll
7. Esteban Ocon
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Oscar Piastri
10. Pierre Gasly
PEREZ TAKES POLE!
Sergio Perez hangs on to claim pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the second year in a row!
Charles Leclerc sneaks home in second place but will start tomorrow's race from down in 12th as a result of a grid penalty for a power unit component change.
Fernando Alonso comes home in third, with George Russell fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton.
SERGIO PEREZ TAKES POLE!!
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Back-to-back on the streets of Jeddah for @SChecoPerez \ud83d\ude0d#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/GKSruLX81U
Perez on provisional pole
Sergio Perez sits at the top of the standings after the first set of Q3 runs, with Charles Leclerc just behind by a margin of around half a second.
Fernando Alonso will be desperately hoping to get himself ahead by going quickest before the session draws to a close, though.
Five minutes to go...
Q3 begins...
The 10 remaining drivers emerge from the pit lane for the final session of the evening.
Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri are the last ones standing.
Who will claim the second pole position of the new season at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit? We'll find out in just under 12 minutes' time...
End of Q2
Max Verstappen has, of course, been knocked out of Q2 in 15th place after suffering a power unit failure before getting the chance to set a flying lap.
He is joined in the bottom five by Nico Hulkenberg, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas.
Sergio Perez finishes the session with the quickest lap time ahead of Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are also safely through into Q3.
Max is out of the car and will take no further part in qualifying \ud83d\udc94#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OZbjkCPvjX
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Verstappen out of qualifying
Max Verstappen jumps out of his car and appears to have given up on his hopes of setting a lap in Q2.
The Dutchman will be starting from outside the top 10 tomorrow, which conjures up the possibility of a surprise winner in Saudi Arabia.
Fernando Alonso is currently leading the way ahead of Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, with the bottom five as follows...
11. Oscar Piastri
12. Valtteri Bottas
13. Zhou Guanyu
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Max Verstappen
Verstappen has an issue!
Max Verstappen appears to be struggling with an engine problem with just eight minutes left to set a lap in Q2!
The Dutchman is yet to clock a representative time and is forced back into the pit lane for urgent repairs.
Will his Red Bull mechanics be able to get him back on track before the end of the session?
VER \ud83d\udcfb: "I have a problem... engine, engine problem"#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/R8OQwhjdjE
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Back underway
The remaining 15 cars are filing back out onto the circuit for Q2, with five more drivers set to be knocked out before the final session of the day.
End of Q1
Max Verstappen finishes Q1 as the quickest driver on track, with Sergio Perez just behind and Fernando Alonso in third.
Lewis Hamilton was knocked out at the first hurdle last year but has successfully managed to avoid a similar fate this time around, with the 38-year-old cruising into Q2 in sixth position.
However, it's a different story for Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, Nyck de Vries, Lando Norris and Logan Sargeant, who have all been eliminated from qualifying.
ELIMINATED, Q1
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Tsunoda
Albon
De Vries
Norris
Sargeant (no time)#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/zk5EhcOn7R
Drivers at risk
Max Verstappen still leads the way at the top of the timesheets ahead of Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.
The drivers currently in the bottom five as things stand are as follows...
16. Lando Norris
17. Yuki Tsunoda
18. Nyck de Vries
19. Pierre Gasly
20. Logan Sargeant
Verstappen setting early pace
Max Verstappen currently finds himself at the top of the standings, which comes as a surprise to absolutely nobody.
The Dutchman is leading Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by half a second, with Nico Hulkenberg up in third for Haas.
George Russell is next in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton's best lap so far is only good enough for sixth position.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, pits for some early repairs after taking the final corner too tight and knocking the wall with his front left tyre.
There are still 10 minutes of Q1 remaining...
De Vries locks up and spins
Nyck de Vries locks his rear tyres on the way into Turn One and is unable to prevent his car from skidding into the run-off area.
He quickly manages to get back on track, though, and will be okay to carry on once he is fitted with some new tyres.
Here we go
The lights are green and the cars are beginning to emerge from the pit lane for the start of Q1.
The likes of Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton will be looking to avoid dropping out at the first hurdle with a couple of solid laps in the first part of the session to see them into Q2.
Suit up. It's time for qualifying in Jeddah!#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5ctP9oy213
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Ferrari admit Red Bull are well ahead
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says that there is little point in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz worrying about the pace of Red Bull as the Austrian outfit are simply too quick to be caught as things stand.
"We are quite confident about the outcome of the issue in Bahrain but we didn't want to take any risks," Vasseur tells Sky Sports F1.
"We can use the first engine a bit later in the season but it was just important to have a clean weekend. We always have a concern about everything but not especially about the engine.
"It is tight. Not with the Red Bull, because they are in front clearly, but from P3 to P7 it is very, very tight. Let's see. I am not too pessimistic."
Wolff: Mercedes can learn from Aston
Toto Wolff has insisted that Mercedes have plenty of lessons to learn from Aston Martin, who are currently much quicker in terms of outright pace in spite of their status as a customer team to the Silver Arrows.
"Why it helps us, they have the whole rear end from our car, the suspension, the engines, the gear box - all of that, so we know there are areas that are really good, that we mustn't question too much," said Wolff ahead of today's qualifying session.
"But it's other areas where the cars are fundamentally different where we need to set our focus there is a lot to learn. The team is on the up, they're successful, so it's for us to learn and not the other way around as it was for many years."
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of today's qualifying session ahead of tomorrow's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen was the quickest driver across all three practice sessions and will be looking to follow up on his recent victory in Bahrain by claiming pole position ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez on the streets of Jeddah.
The Austrian outfit appear to have established themselves as the team to beat at this early stage of the new season, but Ferrari will be determined to make amends for their sub-par showing last time around by upsetting the apple cart this evening.
Mercedes will also be hoping to trouble the top positions over the course of today's session, but it seems unlikely given their continued lack of pace in comparison to their Constructors' Championship rivals.
We're just 30 minutes away from the start of Q1 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and will be on hand to keep you updated with the on-track action as it happens...