Formula 1: Defending world champion has taken pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Max Verstappen was so fast in qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that he didn’t even need his second lap to take pole.
It’s why confidence is key. Anything less than full confidence and a driver is never going to get close to their optimal lap.FERRARI AT THE HEAD OF A CLOSE BATTLE AS PIASTRI SHINES AGAIN Lewis Hamilton reverted from a higher downforce rear wing to Russell’s low-downforce spec after FP3 but couldn’t get the most out of it.
This is especially so in a one-stop race, with only one window to try to pass with strategy through the pit lane.Oscar Piastri was excellent in qualifying, beating Norris around the treacherous Jeddah streets for the second season in a row in another superb display of his raw speed. That could be crucial given the high chance of a safety car will figure in every team’s strategy calculations given it almost halves the pit stop time.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit would be at the bottom of the list of tracks a driver would want to step up at without notice. It comprises a ridiculous 27 corners, almost all of them taken at high speed. The walls are right in on the circuit pretty much everywhere, meaning even the smallest mistake can mete out serious punishment.Not only did he qualify 11th, but he got to within 0.036 seconds of displacing Hamilton for a spot in Q3.