Lewis Hamilton continues a late-season quest to capture his eighth consecutive season championship.
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia—Just when it seemed that Max Verstappen would take pole position Saturday night at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the Dutchman locked up going into a corner, and he couldn’t stop the car from going wide. Verstappen parked his car and ended his evening in third, enabling Lewis Hamilton and his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, to give Team Mercedes a 1-2.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth despite crashing in Friday practice. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished fifth, with Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda taking sixth and eighth, respectively. Esteban Ocon finished ninth in his Alpine, while Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi–in his best performance in qualifying–ended up tenth.
Although Perez took the opening session, Hamilton had been going well all evening. The Briton came through just moments from the end, posting a 1: 27:511 best time, which would still allow Verstappen to set a fast lap. Verstappen made his move, but things went awry on turn three when the Red Bull driver slightly struck the barriers but continued to set a quick time. However, with just a few corners to go, Verstappen went too far into one of the last turns and hit the barriers, pulling to the left and stopping, knowing that the suspension was damaged.
If Verstappen’s suspension needs to be repaired, there is a slight chance that Verstappen could be penalized and lose a few positions when the race begins Sunday night. Verstappen recognized his plight.
Max Verstappen: It was a bit hard to switch on the tires because it’s a street circuit, but I knew the pace was there. I don’t know what happened. I locked up, tried to keep the car on the track to finish the lap, but I clipped the rear and had to stop.
Others chimed in with comments about the many challenges they face racing on this street circuit. Hamilton put it this way: “Wow. What a tough track this is, incredibly technical and complex.” Teammate Bottas agreed. “It’s a tough track,” he said. But his car, not the track, figured more prominently on this night. Bottas lost power late in the opening session, complaining of misfiring, but he advanced nonetheless.
Both Haas drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher finished at the bottom of the grid. Joining them and not moving on to the second session were Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Nicholas Latifi. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. spun midway through the circuit and slightly damaged his rear wing, knocking him out of the second session. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, Williams’s George Russell, and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso joined Sainz Jr. in not advancing to the final round.
Sunday’s race will be televised by ESPN2 starting at 12:30 p U.S. Eastern time.
