Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Qualifying F1 Highlights: Verstappen Pips Piastri To Take Pole; Norris Crashes In Q3

Q1 will go green at 10:30pm IST, so buckle up for qualifying which will determine the grid for Sunday's race. The qualifying should last for over an hour and will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website in India.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only ones to consistently have the pace through the first four rounds of the Formula One championship. This makes the upcoming Saudi Arabian GP a likely McLaren vs McLaren scenario. But Red Bull racing mainstay Max Verstappen says he hasn't lost hope yet.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown had this to say to broadcaster Sky Sports ahead of the qualifying race: "They (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) are pushing each other hard, the car is good. I don't think the gap that you saw in FP3 will be the same gap for whoever gets pole and front row.

"We see how close it is so I fully expect it to be the usual qualifying shootout, but I think we're looking good so far."

Q1 gets underway with 18 minutes scheduled. After topping FP3, Lando Norris has taken the early lead in Q1 too but his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri zooms ahead with a marginally faster lap time, just 0.007 seconds faster at that, to go ahead. Max Verstappen is not far behind in third.

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen take turns with the lead in Q1, and it is the Red Bull Racing driver who ends up on top after the first session of qualifying. Verstappen edges Norris by 0.027 seconds, and Piastri is in third.

The drivers eliminated after Q1 are Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber).

Lando Norris upstages Max Verstappen, again with a really small margin, to top the second session of qualifying. To put things in perspective, just 44 milliseconds separate Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. The drivers eliminated after Q2 are Alex Albon (Williams), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Oliver Bearman (Haas).

Lando Norris’ McLaren smashes against the wall, and the red flag immediately comes out. That's it for the McLaren driver's qualifying. The left side of his car takes the blow and it could well affect his chances in the main race tomorrow. The clean-up is done, and Q3 resumes.

It is a second consecutive pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Max Verstappen. The Red Bull Racing driver edges out McLaren's Oscar Piastri by one-hundredth of a second to emerge on top. Mercedes' George Russell is third in the grid, Charles Leclerc fourth and Kimi Antonelli in fifth. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton ends up seventh.

Here's how the starting grid will look like tomorrow for the main race:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

3. George Russell (Mercedes)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

6. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

10. Lando Norris (McLaren)

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

14. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

15. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

17. Jack Doohan (Alpine)

18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)