Super Max Verstappen scorches to pole with record lap in Jeddah
JEDDAH — Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen delivered a scintillating lap under the lights on Saturday to grab pole position for the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2025, setting the fastest time ever recorded at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The Red Bull star clocked a 1:27.294s at an average speed of 254.615 km/h, edging out McLaren's Oscar Piastri by just 0.01 seconds in a dramatic qualifying showdown.
'The car came alive in the night,' said a delighted Verstappen after clinching his second pole of the season.
Mercedes' George Russell took third, while team-mate Kimi Antonelli, the 17-year-old rookie, impressed again with a superb fifth-place start. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will line up fourth.
One of the biggest shocks came when Lando Norris crashed out at Turn 5, losing the rear over the kerb and hitting the wall hard. The red flags came out, and Norris, who had shown strong pace all weekend, will start the race from P10.
Elsewhere, history was made in Formula 2 as Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad, also 17, became the youngest ever race winner in the series. He inherited victory after Richard Verschoor was penalized five seconds for forcing Josep María Martí off track. Jak Crawford, who starts the Feature Race from pole later today, was the only retirement after spinning out.
In the F1 ACADEMY, Ella Lloyd grabbed her maiden win for McLaren, storming to the front from Turn 1 and holding off Maya Weug and Alisha Palmowski after a Safety Car restart.
Wildcard entrant Farah AlYousef finished 16th despite receiving a five-second penalty for a false start. Eyes now turn to Chloe Chambers, who starts Race 2 from pole at 3:05 p.m..
Off the track, Jennifer Lopez brought the Fan Zone to life with a high-energy performance on Saturday night. The entertainment continues Sunday night as Usher takes center stage following the Grand Prix, promising a spectacular close to an unforgettable weekend of racing and live music in Jeddah. — SG
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Verstappen Blames Frustration for a ‘Move That Was Not Right' After Colliding with Russell
Max Verstappen said Monday that frustration caused 'a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened', a day after he initially seemed unrepentant over his collision with George Russell at Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix. Before the collision, Verstappen had been asked by his Red Bull team to give up a place to Russell. It followed an earlier incident between the two drivers when Russell had tried to get past Verstappen, who went off the track. The race stewards ruled Verstappen had 'suddenly accelerated' before the collision and Russell said it 'felt very deliberate'. The stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty which dropped him from fifth to 10th and left him 49 points off standings leader Oscar Piastri, who won Sunday's race. 'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out. Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened,' Verstappen wrote on Instagram. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you (at the next race) in Montreal.' Initially in the aftermath of Sunday's race, Verstappen had said that 'next time I will bring a tissue', responding to Russell claiming he set a poor example for young drivers. Russell finished fourth. The collision followed a series of setbacks for Verstappen, who had been in third and pressuring the two McLaren drivers in front before the safety car came out. Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen into the pits for fresh tires, even though the only ones he had left were slower hard-compound tires, a type that no other driver used. At the restart, Verstappen lost grip and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari made contact with Verstappen's Red Bull. Neither driver was ruled at fault for that. Verstappen then went off the track while defending against Russell and Red Bull asked Verstappen to give up the place to Russell, apparently because the team expected Verstappen would be given a penalty. The stewards later ruled they wouldn't have taken action against the Dutch driver for that incident. Risking a suspension Verstappen needs to be careful in the next two races because the penalty for the collision with Russell also brought him penalty points on his license, taking him to 11 in the last 12 months. Drivers get a one-race suspension if they hit 12 points in a year. Two of those points expire at the end of the month, but until then Verstappen needs to get through the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without any further penalty points.
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Verstappen One Point from a Race Ban After Clash with Russell
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen is one penalty point away from a race ban after being punished for driving into Mercedes rival George Russell during Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. In addition to a 10-second time penalty, dropping the Red Bull driver from fifth to 10th, stewards handed Verstappen three penalty points on his super-license. That took his tally to 11 for a 12-month period, with 12 points triggering a one-race ban. Two of those points expire at the end of June but there are two races before that. The Red Bull driver had clashed twice with Russell at the restart following a late safety car period at the Circuit de Catalunya. The pair made contact first at Turn One when Verstappen, who was defending fourth place on hard tires against a rival on quicker softs, was pushed wide but stayed ahead. He was then told by Red Bull to hand back the place. Stewards noted Verstappen "was clearly unhappy with his team's request. "At the approach to Turn 5, Car 1 (Verstappen) significantly reduced its speed thereby appearing to allow Car 63 (Russell) to overtake," they added. "However, after Car 63 got ahead of Car 1 at the entry of Turn 5, Car 1 suddenly accelerated and collided with Car 63." 'INTENTIONAL RETALIATION'? The incident, as well as an earlier clash with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, triggered accusations of road rage and a return to the "Mad Max" days of old, before Verstappen's four world titles. "It looked like a very intentional retaliation. Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn One," said Mercedes' 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports television. "That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag, yes. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag." McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished second, watched a replay in the cool-down room and commented: "I've done that before in Mario Kart." Russell told reporters he did not know what Verstappen was thinking. "It felt very deliberate. It is something I have seen numerous times in sim (video) racing and i-racing and never have I seen it in a Formula One race so that was something new," added the Briton. "It is a shame because Max is one of the best drivers in the world but maneuvers like that are totally unnecessary. It lets him down and it is a shame for all of the young kids looking up to us, aspiring to be Formula One drivers. "It is something you see in go-karting but never in F1. It doesn't make sense to crash into somebody and risk damaging your own car and risk a penalty. And he could have come back to fight for the podium." Verstappen, who had accused Leclerc of ramming into him, accepted the two had different opinions. "I'll bring some tissues next time," the Dutch driver said when told of Russell's concerns.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Arab News
Oscar Piastri wins in Spain with McLaren one-two, Verstappen demoted
BARCELONA: Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two on Sunday to forge 10 points clear of teammate Lando Norris in the title battle. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The Australian's win, by 2.4 seconds, was his fifth in nine races this season and McLaren's seventh. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium after passing Max Verstappen's Red Bull six laps from the end following a safety car period that triggered the main talking point of the afternoon with the champion demoted from fifth to 10th. 'It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. A superb weekend,' said Piastri, who finished third last weekend in a race won from pole by Norris. Verstappen, who made four stops in total and ended up on the slower hard tires against rivals on softs, collided with Leclerc and twice with Mercedes' George Russell after the safety car restart. The angry Dutch driver was given a 10-second penalty added to his overall time for the second Russell collision that was clearly his fault. He and Leclerc also faced a post-race investigation for their clash that could lead to further sanctions. 'I tried to push him to the left, there was a bit of contact but fortunately no consequences,' said Leclerc. Verstappen claimed the Monegasque had rammed into him and should have given back the place. Russell finished fourth after eventually being let through by Verstappen, who reluctantly did as his team told him. Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg finished a surprising and morale-boosting fifth for the future Audi team after passing Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap. Hamilton was a disappointing sixth, Isack Hadjar seventh for Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly eighth for Renault-owned Alpine. FIRST POINTS Home hero Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season with Aston Martin, who had only one car on the grid due to Lance Stroll's withdrawal through injury after Saturday's qualifying. Piastri led away cleanly at the start with Verstappen seizing second from Norris while Hamilton and Leclerc moved up to fourth and fifth as Russell lost out. Hamilton let Leclerc through on lap 10 of 66 after the two Ferraris had run nose to tail. Norris took back second place from Verstappen on lap 13, the Dutch driver making no attempt to defend against the quicker McLaren and pitting in the next lap for fresh tires. Verstappen took the lead again on lap 23 after Piastri pitted, with Norris making his first stop on lap 21 and coming out behind the Red Bull, but that lasted only until Verstappen pitted for a second time on lap 30. He came in for a third stop on lap 47 but Norris pitted the lap after to defend second place. A safety car deployment on lap 55, after Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli beached his Mercedes in the gravel, bunched up the field and triggered a rash of stops. The McLarens came in together for fresh tires, double-stacking, and resumed ahead of Verstappen who questioned the switch to a set of hards but was told that was the only option available.
