Verstappen edges Piastri by 0.010s for Jeddah pole as red flag leaves Norris stranded in 10th

A session defined by chaos

Qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Saturday evening unfolded under warm, dry conditions — air temperature peaked at 29.6°C, track temperature reached 38.3°C, and rainfall was nil throughout. Wind speed dropped to zero at points during the session, leaving the circuit in a consistent but unforgiving state where any brush with the barriers or the painted kerbs carried full consequences.

From Q1 through to the decisive minutes of Q3, lap deletions, yellow flags and ultimately a full red flag shaped the outcome as much as raw pace. Drivers who managed the chaos cleanly prospered; those who could not were left exposed.

Q1: Deletions pile up, Hamilton investigated

Jack Doohan endured the most turbulent opening segment. The Alpine driver had his 1:58.947 removed for exceeding track limits at Turn 2 on lap 4, then had the same time deleted again for a violation at Turn 7 on the same lap. He subsequently lost two further laps on lap 7 — one at Turn 7 and another at Turn 8 — leaving him with almost nothing salvageable.

Gabriel Bortoleto was similarly afflicted. His 1:29.636 was wiped for a Turn 2 infringement on lap 6, then two more laps disappeared on lap 9 at Turn 1 and Turn 8. Alexander Albon lost laps at Turn 8 on laps 6 and 12 respectively. Nico Hülkenberg and Liam Lawson also had times deleted, with Lawson's pitlane unsafe-release reviewed by the stewards before being cleared without further investigation.

The more consequential incident involved Lewis Hamilton. A yellow flag in sector 2 escalated to double yellows in sectors 2 and 6 late in Q1. The stewards noted Hamilton had failed to respect the maximum delta time under those conditions and marked the matter for post-session investigation. By the time Q3 was concluding, the stewards confirmed no further action would be taken.

Lance Stroll was the first casualty, eliminated in P16 with a 1:28.645. Doohan, Bortoleto and Hülkenberg joined him at the bottom of the order.

Q2: Norris fastest, but storm clouds gathering

The championship leader appeared to be in commanding form through Q2. Lando Norris set the fastest time of that phase — a 1:27.481, 0.048 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen's 1:27.529 and 0.064s clear of Oscar Piastri's 1:27.545. McLaren looked the team to beat.

Double yellows in sector 9 mid-segment disrupted preparation laps for several drivers, and Pierre Gasly lost a lap to a track-limits deletion at Turn 22. Alexander Albon fell short in P11 with 1:28.109, joined in elimination by Liam Lawson (1:28.191, P12), Fernando Alonso (1:28.303, P13), Isack Hadjar (1:28.418, P14) and Oliver Bearman (1:28.648, P15).

Q3: Red flag, restart and Norris stranded

Q3 barely had time to begin before it was halted. Double yellows appeared simultaneously in sectors 4 and 5 within the opening minute, immediately followed by a full red flag. The first runs were over before most drivers had reached a representative sector.

The interruption proved catastrophic for Norris. The classification records him in P10 with no Q3 time set, indicating he was unable to produce a timed lap either before the red flag or during the restarted phase. For the championship leader, it was a devastating swing.

After the session resumed, double yellows returned in sectors 14 and 15 as the final runs came to a close, compressing the window further. Those who did complete clean laps in the restart separated themselves sharply.

Verstappen delivered when it mattered most, posting a 1:27.294 to claim pole. Piastri was close — just 0.010s adrift on 1:27.304 — having narrowed a gap of 0.123s in Q1 to just 0.016s in Q2 before falling short at the final hurdle.

George Russell gave Mercedes a strong front-row-adjacent position in third with 1:27.407, 0.113s off pole. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for Ferrari at 1:27.670, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli completing a highly encouraging double top-five for Mercedes in fifth on 1:27.866.

Carlos Sainz delivered sixth for Williams with 1:28.164. Hamilton qualified seventh on 1:28.201 despite his Q1 investigation, separated from Yuki Tsunoda in eighth by just 0.003s. Gasly rounded out the top nine for Alpine with 1:28.367, and Norris occupies 10th without a Q3 time to his name.

Championship implications

Heading into Sunday's race, Norris leads the drivers' championship on 77 points, three ahead of Piastri on 74 and eight clear of Verstappen on 69. The mathematics of the grid make a points swing against the McLaren number one almost inevitable.

Verstappen starts from pole with a free track ahead of him. Piastri lines up second — well placed to attack and, should Verstappen falter, to claw back his three-point deficit. Norris must work through traffic from 10th, a position that leaves him exposed to losing ground to both title rivals simultaneously.

Russell in third (63 points, fourth in the standings) and Leclerc in fourth ensure Mercedes and Ferrari can intervene in the top-three contest. Sainz, starting sixth for Williams on just one championship point so far in 2025, has a realistic opportunity to haul in meaningful points from a strong grid position.

Qualifying classification

Pos	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:27.778	1:27.529	1:27.294
2	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:27.901	1:27.545	1:27.304
3	George Russell	Mercedes	1:28.282	1:27.599	1:27.407
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:28.552	1:27.866	1:27.670
5	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:28.128	1:27.798	1:27.866
6	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:28.354	1:28.024	1:28.164
7	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:28.372	1:28.102	1:28.201
8	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	1:28.226	1:27.990	1:28.204
9	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	1:28.421	1:28.025	1:28.367
10	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:27.805	1:27.481