After the end of Max Verstappen’s demonstration of power, it was a great opportunity for the competition: following the world champion had to retire in Q2 for technical reasons, the way to pole position was clear for the rest of the race.
The fight for pole was initially exciting, but in the end it went relatively clearly to Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez, who relegated Charles Leclerc to second place.
As a reminder, the Ferrari star had to drop ten places following the control electronics for the power unit had to be replaced once more.
Fernando Alonso was third in qualifying, moving up to second on the grid.
“I nailed the decisive lap, so I had to get the maximum out of it,” said Pérez, who had already claimed pole position last year.
He finds his teammate Verstappen’s problem “a shame because he was strong all weekend. I hope that we’ll have both cars up front once more on Sunday.”
Leclerc was satisfied with his lap, “it was at the limit. But Red Bull Racing is on a different planet. We have to keep pushing. It won’t be easy with the punishment. I’m concentrating on the race and trying to get ahead,” said Leclerc.
The race pace looked “quite good” in practice, but it’s always difficult to compare. It looks better, but it won’t be easy,” said the Monegasse.
And Alonso? He was happy regarding a “very good weekend so far. The car worked really well, let’s see what’s in it from the place. A start from the front row feels good».
Qualifying, Saudi-Arabien
01. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, 1:28.265 min
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:28,420
03. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, 1:28.730
04. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, 1:28,857
05. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, 1:28.931
06. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, 1:28,945
07. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, 1:29,078
08. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, 1:29,223
09. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, 1:29.243
10. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, 1:29,357
11. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, 1:29,451
12. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo, 1:29,461
13. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, 1:29.517
14. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, 1:29,668
15. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:49,953
16. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, 1:29,939
17. Alex Albon (T), Williams, 1:29,994
18. Nyck de Vries (NL), AlphaTauri, 1:30,244
19. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, 1:30.447
20. Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams, 2:08,510
