Lando Norris crashed out of F1 qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen claimed a brilliant pole position.
The championship leader branded himself a “f*****g idiot” on the radio after hitting the kerbs at turns four and five and crashing into the wall during his first run in Q3.
His session was over and Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and George Russell were left to slug it out for pole, with the Dutchman banishing pre-race talk over his future with another scintillating qualifying performance.
Norris has admitted not feeling “comfortable” with his McLaren and said after qualifying sixth last weekend in Bahrain that he was “clueless” how to get the best out of his car.
The British driver leads Piastri by three points in the championship standings after the Australian’s victory in Bahrain last weekend, with a title tussle between the pair gathering momentum.
Their McLaren had again looked the class of the field during practice in Jeddah and Norris appeared set to duel it out for pole. But his qualifying confidence is likely to have taken a further hit after another missed opportunity.
His error came on his first attempt as he lost control on the kerbs and careered into the wall on the left, bringing out an early red flag.
Verstappen’s future has dominated the pre-race talk, with a tough weekend in Bahrain sparking speculation that he may want to find an exit from Red Bull.
The Dutchman had not looked a match for the McLarens during practice but, as he did in Japan a fortnight ago, produced a brilliant qualifying display.
TOP-10 - SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING
1. Max Verstappen
2. Oscar Piastri
3. George Russell
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Kimi Antonelli
6. Carlos Sainz
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Yuki Tsunoda
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Lando Norris
Piastri had surged to the top of the charts on his final run but Verstappen was faultless with his lap at the death to take it by just 0.010 seconds.
“Simply lovely, that,” Verstappen said on the team radio. “The car really came alive in the night.”
Russell will line up third for Mercedes after another fine display, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing qualifying form continued as he could manage only seventh.
The seven-time world champion admitted after qualifying ninth in Bahrain that he needed to fix his Saturday form.
Excluding sprint qualifying, he has now only finished in the top five twice in 15 attempts dating back to last season with Mercedes.
Ferrari have looked way off the pace all weekend and Hamilton only squeezed through Q2 by 0.007 seconds.
He ended up over nine tenths off Verstappen’s time.
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F1 grid: Starting positions for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
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Lando Norris edges out McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in final practice
