Alonso surprises

Qualifying in Saudi Arabia from 6 p.m. LIVE

Max Verstappen

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has once again demonstrated his dominance in the Red Bull in the second qualifying session of the year and secured pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was clearly faster on Friday at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit than Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who was 0.319 seconds behind. Sergio Perez (+0.335) in the second Red Bull will start from third place on Saturday (6pm).

For Verstappen, who had won the opening race in Bahrain in dominant fashion, it was the 34th pole of his career and his first in Jeddah. As a result, the 26-year-old overtook Jim Clark and Alain Prost in the all-time leaderboard, making Verstappen the sole fifth-placed driver. "It was a great day. We reworked the car a bit during the night to make us even faster in the fast corners. The car feels really good," said Verstappen, who is hoping for a smooth race. "We've seen in the past that there are crazy races. A lot can happen."

Charles Leclerc

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Aston Martin rookie Fernando Alonso finished fourth (+0.374). The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished fifth and sixth ahead of the two Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The race was postponed by one day due to the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will not be taking part due to appendicitis. The 29-year-old Spaniard has already undergone surgery. It remains to be seen whether Sainz will be able to take part in the next race in Australia in two weeks' time. Substitute driver Oliver "Ollie" Bearman finished eleventh in his first qualifying session in the premier class, missing out on a place in Q3 by 36 thousandths of a second.

Crash in practice
"It was a fantastic day. Obviously you don't want to make your Formula 1 debut under these circumstances, but it's a great opportunity," said Bearman. However, he was disappointed with his position. "But it was the first time. And as a young racing driver, you really want to be in a Formula 1 car, which is five steps above Formula 2. You need good confidence."

Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu had crashed in the third practice session and was therefore unable to set a time in qualifying. The Chinese driver also shortened Bearman's practice time in the red car. The 18-year-old Briton, who normally drives for the Prema team in the Formula 2 junior series, could become the youngest Ferrari driver in Formula 1 history in Saturday's race. Bearman is the first Ferrari driver since Italian Arturo Merzario in 1972 to make his debut for the sport's oldest and most glamorous team. In Formula 2, Bearman, who counts Jeddah as one of his favorite tracks, took pole position.

Max Verstappen

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Here is the final standings:

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANGELA WEISS)

Sainz missing
Sainz had complained of feeling unwell shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia and left the track again on Wednesday to recover at the hotel. He completed both sessions in training on Thursday. Last Saturday, Sainz had finished third in the season opener in Bahrain. The native of Madrid is driving his last season for Ferrari. He will have to vacate his seat next year for record world champion Hamilton, who will switch from Mercedes to the Scuderia. Sainz does not yet have a new employer.