Max Verstappen proved once again why he’s still the man to beat in Formula 1, grabbing a nail-biting pole position at the qualifying of the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by just 0.010 seconds over a surging Oscar Piastri, while McLaren’s second bullet, Lando Norris, saw his weekend unravel in a flash with a heavy crash at Turn 5.
The drama kicked off in Q3 just as fans were settling in for what looked like a McLaren show. Piastri had just laid down a benchmark lap when Norris clipped the kerb aggressively, sending his car straight into the wall. A red flag halted proceedings as the Brit’s session, and his shot at pole, ended abruptly with no time on the board.
When the session resumed, George Russell stunned the grid by briefly taking P1, but it didn’t last. Piastri responded with an electric lap, only to be narrowly outgunned by Verstappen, who clocked in at 1:27.294, securing his spot at the front for Sunday’s race.
Final Top 10 Saudi Arabia Qualifying Results:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:27.294
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.010s
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – No time set due to crash
For Williams, the story was all about Carlos Sainz, who secured P6, his best grid slot since making the shock move to the team. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton still seemed to be finding his groove in red, finishing in P7 behind his former protégé.
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda delivered a quiet but effective P8, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly held on for P9. Norris, despite showing race-winning pace in FP3, will start from P10, assuming no overnight gearbox penalties.
Just outside the Q3 cutoff, Alex Albon narrowly missed out, while Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso both underperformed relative to expectations. Jack Doohan, Lance Stroll, and both Kick Sauber drivers (Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto) rounded out a disappointing day near the back.
Sunday’s race is shaping up to be a high-speed chess match. Can Piastri challenge Verstappen off the line? Will Norris recover from P10 to salvage big points? And can Mercedes play spoiler with Russell and Antonelli in strong starting positions?
Strap in, Jeddah doesn’t do boring.
