Max Verstappen’s reaction speaks volumes as Lando Norris gifts him Saudi GP pole position.
Lando Norris will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from 10th place after he crashed in the final part of qualifying, while Max Verstappen beat Oscar Piastri to pole position.
Lando Norris called himself a “f***ing idiot” as a qualifying crash handed team-mate Oscar Piastri the chance to take control of the drivers’ championship. Norris is just three points ahead of his McLaren team-mate in the standings and will start today’s race 10th on the grid because of his crash in the final part of last night’s session.
He needed a positive result after some harsh self-criticism following his sluggish performance in Bahrain last weekend. But when he hit the raised kerb at turn five on his first run in Q3, his chances of pole evaporated with the Brit unable to stop his car sliding into the wall and condemning him to 10th place on the grid for today’s race.
Piastri could not take full advantage, though, as Max Verstappen smashed the Jeddah track record to deny McLaren. “I’m very happy – I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here,” the Red Bull racer beamed.
“The car came alive on the night – we made some final changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive. The grip was coming to me and, around here, a qualifying lap is extremely difficult. With all the walls, you really need to try to nail it. It’s really satisfying to be first in qualifying.”
The last time he took pole, at Suzuka earlier this month, he was able to keep Piastri and Norris behind. The Jeddah street track also makes overtaking difficult but Verstappen is not sure he will be able to fend off the McLaren cars this time.
He added: “Tomorrow in the race it will be tough to keep them behind, but we will give it a good go. We’ll do our best. So far I’m just really happy that we had a solid qualifying, much better than we had in Bahrain.”
Piastri was understandably disappointed to miss out on pole position, but he accepted it gracefully, acknowledging there wasn’t much more he could’ve done. The Australian reflected: “Honestly, I was quite pleased with that lap — I don’t think there was a lot more in it, so I’m satisfied with my performance.
“I was playing a bit of catch-up early on, and that final lap felt like the best I could deliver. Max did a great job — it’s another high-speed track where their car seems to excel. He nailed it again, but the race is still wide open.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown echoed that sentiment, praising Piastri’s performance and expressing sympathy for Norris, whom he’s confident will rebound quickly. “Now it’s about focusing on the race. We’ll do everything we can to help him move up the order — he’s definitely quicker than his qualifying spot shows,” Brown said.
Meanwhile, George Russell continued his strong form by securing third ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton placing seventh on the grid in the other Ferrari. Russell said: “Before qualifying, I would’ve gladly taken P3. But seeing how tight it was… I was happy with the lap, though you always wonder if a little more was possible.
“Realistically, this was probably our best today. On faster tracks like this, we know we don’t quite match McLaren’s pace. Max was outstanding again — credit to him. The red flag made it a challenging session, and it all came down to one final lap. P3 is a solid starting point for the race.”
