Defending champion Max Verstappen remains unstoppable in Formula 1 and has also secured the best starting position for the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia.
During the qualification in Jeddah, the Red Bull driver clearly relegated Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc to second place with a lead of 0.319 seconds. Last year’s winner Sergio Pérez came third in the second Red Bull. Nico Hülkenberg from the Rhine had to retire due to a technical defect and had to settle for 15th place in the Haas racing car.
For Verstappen it is the first pole position on the ultra-fast street circuit. After his dominant opening victory a week ago in Bahrain, the three-time world champion from the Netherlands is also the clear favorite for the second race of the season. The race will be run on Saturday (6 p.m./Sky) in consideration of the beginning of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
Unexpected premiere for Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman, who is only 18 years old, will celebrate his unexpected premiere in Jeddah. The Brit represents Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari because the Spaniard had to undergo a short-term operation due to an inflamed appendix. Sainz had complained of feeling unwell shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia, but still completed the training rounds on Thursday. On Friday he had to go to the hospital. According to Ferrari, he survived the operation well.
Bearman, who usually competes in the Formula 2 junior series, showed no major teething problems. In qualifying he finished eleventh.
However, the day was bitter for the Chinese Zhou Guanyu. Because he badly damaged his Sauber racing car in an accident during training and the repairs took a little too long, he was unable to complete a timed lap in qualifying and came last.
