Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying session that saw McLaren’s Lando Norris crash out early, and several twists and turns before the final positions were locked in. Norris, the favorite for pole, made a costly mistake on his first push lap, hitting the wall and bringing out a red flag, ending his chances of starting at the front.
With teammate Oscar Piastri the only driver to have set a time ahead of Norris’ crash, the rest of the grid was left chasing the McLaren duo. When the session resumed, Verstappen put in a blistering lap to take provisional pole by just 0.001 seconds. However, the excitement didn’t end there, as George Russell and Piastri swapped positions, with Piastri taking provisional pole for a brief period, edging out Russell by over a tenth.
But Verstappen, always quick to respond, returned with a final push lap, securing pole by just 0.010 seconds over Piastri. Russell qualified third, while Charles Leclerc rounded out the top four.
In a session full of drama, Lewis Hamilton just scraped through to Q2, finishing 0.007 seconds ahead of Alex Albon, who will start 11th. Yuki Tsunoda also made it into Q3, marking the second race in a row that both Red Bull drivers advanced to the final qualifying session. Meanwhile, a few big names, including Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, and Oliver Bearman, found themselves under pressure but managed to make it through to the next round.
Provisional Starting Grid for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
- Row 1: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Row 2: 3. George Russell (Mercedes), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Row 3: 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 6. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams)
- Row 4: 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Row 5: 9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 10. Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Row 6: 11. Alex Albon (Williams), 12. Liam Lawson (VCARB)
- Row 7: 13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 14. Isack Hadjar (VCARB)
- Row 8: 15. Oliver Bearman (Haas), 16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Row 9: 17. Jack Doohan (Alpine), 18. Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
- Row 10: 19. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
