In a twice disrupted qualifying session, due to crashes for Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher, Perez beat the Ferraris of practice pace-setter Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr to become the first Mexican polesitter in F1 history.
A lap that Perez called "unbelievable" and drew praise from championship leader Leclerc also broke Mark Webber's long-standing record for the most F1 starts before his first pole, with the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix set to be his 215th F1 start.
Perez becomes the first Red Bull polesitter at the start of F1's new ground effect era, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen only fourth-fastest as he reported struggles for grip during the decisive Q3 session.
However, the Dutchman could be optimistic for the race as Perez revealed that the Milton Keynes team had sacrificed some qualifying performance for improved long-run pace.
Esteban Ocon will start fifth for Alpine ahead of George Russell in the lead Mercedes - the only one to reach Q3 after Lewis Hamilton's surprise Q1 exit with a car he called "undriveable".
Hamilton qualified only 16th, as Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top 10.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified 12th, but received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Ocon.
Sebastian Vettel will again sit out as he continues to recover from COVID-19. Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg joined Hamilton, Alex Albon, Latifi and Yuki Tsunoda - who suffered a suspected water system issue and failed to set a time - in falling at the first hurdle.
Only 19 cars will take the start as Schumacher was ruled out of the grand prix following his heavy Q2 shunt, but fortunately didn't sustain any injuries.
When is the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
- Date: Sunday 27th March 2022
- Start time: 6:00pm BST, 8:00pm local time
The second round of the 2022 F1 season, the Saudi Arabian GP at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, gets underway at 8:00pm local time (6:00pm BST) on Sunday 27th March.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is only broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £33.99p per month.
Fans wanting to watch the race for free will have to wait until the Sunday evening to see the highlights on Channel 4.
How can I watch the Saudi Arabian GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Saudi Arabian GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Sky Sports has live and exclusive broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom, with the build-up to the F1 Saudi Arabian GP race starting from 4:30pm BST ahead of lights out at 6:00pm BST.
- Channel: Sky Sports F1 (Sky Sports Main Event)
- Start time: 4:30pm BST, Sunday 27th March
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Saudi Arabian GP here starting at 5:30pm BST.
When can I watch the Saudi Arabian GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Bahrain GP at 10:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 30 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
- Channel: Channel 4
- Start time: 10:30pm BST, Sunday 27th March
Will the Saudi Arabian GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Coverage of the Saudi Arabian GP will start at 6:00pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the Saudi Arabian GP
Current weather forecasts predict hot and dry conditions at the Bahrain International Circuit, with a very low chance of rain during the race. The temperature is expected to be between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.
How many laps is the Saudi Arabian GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 50 laps of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, covering a total race distance of 308.45km.
Saudi Arabian GP starting grid
| Cla | Driver | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sergio Perez |  | 1'28.200 | |
| 2 |  Charles Leclerc |  | 1'28.225 | 0.025 |
| 3 |  Carlos Sainz Jr | | 1'28.402 | 0.202 |
| 4 |  Max Verstappen |  | 1'28.461 | 0.261 |
| 5 |  Esteban Ocon |  | 1'29.068 | 0.868 |
| 6 |  George Russell |  | 1'29.104 | 0.904 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso |  | 1'29.147 | 0.947 |
| 8 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | 1'29.183 | 0.983 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly |  | 1'29.254 | 1.054 |
| 10 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | 1'29.588 | 1.388 |
| 11 | Lando Norris |  | 1'29.651 | 1.451 |
| 12 |  Daniel Ricciardo | | 1'29.773 | 1.573 |
| 13 |  Guanyu Zhou |  | 1'29.819 | 1.619 |
| 14 |  Mick Schumacher |  | 1'29.920 | 1.720 |
| 15 |  Lance Stroll |  | 1'31.009 | 2.809 |
| 16 | Lewis Hamilton |  | 1'30.343 | 2.143 |
| 17 |  Alex Albon |  | 1'30.492 | 2.292 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg |  | 1'30.543 | 2.343 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |  | 1'31.817 | 3.617 |
| 20 |  Yuki Tsunoda |  | ||
| View full results | ||||
