Max Verstappen secured pole at 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix pulling off a stunner under the Jeddah lights, topping a thrilling qualifying session that delivered everything from red flags to rookie heroics.
In the last moments of Q3, Verstappen found the extra pace to set a stunning lap of 1:27.294, just edging McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.010 seconds. George Russell took P3 in another solid effort for Mercedes with a 1:27.407.
Piastri led for a few minutes in Q3 before the red flag due to a heavy crash by teammate Lando Norris. In the remaining two minutes, there was some jockeying for position, with Verstappen and Piastri and Russell being involved, but in the end, the defending champion dropped what Sky F1 charmingly described as a “simply lovely” lap for pole position.
Q2: Hamilton Scrapes Through-Limitations for Lawson
Just scraping into Q3 in 13th place by the (barely) thinnest of margins against Williams' Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton's teammate at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, was comfortable at this stage: sixth overall.
On the other hand, Liam Lawson had his quickest lap deleted and, therefore, lost a possible Q3 position. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, did brilliantly to reach Q3 in just his second F1 start.
Out in Q2: Albon-Lawson-Fernando Alonso-Aston Martin-Isack Hadjar-Racing Bulls-Oliver Bearman-Haas.
Q1: Stroll Exits Early as Rookie Bortoleto Fights
The first part of the Qualifying session had its share of chaos. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly suffered a stuck tire warmer issue, whereas fellow Williams driver Alex Albon touched the wall during his run. In a surprising turn of events, Lance Stroll from Aston Martin has been knocked out, marking his fifth Q1 exit this season.
Rookies Jack Doohan and Gabriel Bortoleto also fell early with Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber).
Provisional Grid: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025 – Starting Order
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:27.294
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:27.304
3. George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:27.407
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:27.670
5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:27.866
6. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 1:28.164
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:28.201
8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 1:28.204
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1:28.367
10. Lando Norris (McLaren) – N/A (crash)
11. Alex Albon (Williams) – 1:28.109
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 1:28.191
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1:28.202
14. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 1:28.418
15. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 1:27.648
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 1:28.645
17. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 1:28.739
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 1:28.782
19. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1:29.092
20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 1:29.462