Image: gepa
On Friday at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the Dutchman was clearly faster than Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who was 0.319 seconds behind. Sergio Perez (+0.335) will start from third place in the second Red Bull on Saturday (6 p.m./ORF 1 and Sky).
For Verstappen, who won the opening race in Bahrain in a convincing manner, it was the 34th pole of his career and his first in Jeddah. The 26-year-old thus overtook Jim Clark and Alain Prost in the all-time best list, making Verstappen fifth. “It was a great day. We reworked the car a bit during the night so that we could be 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.”
Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso came fourth (+0.374). The McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took fifth and sixth place 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.
“It was a fantastic day”
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who is out due to appendicitis, will not be there. 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. Substitute driver Oliver “Ollie” Bearman took eleventh place in his first qualifying in the premier class, the debutant missed making it into “Q3” by 36 thousandths of a second.
“It was a fantastic day. Of course you don’t want to celebrate your Formula 1 debut under these circumstances, but it’s a great opportunity,” said Bearman. But he was disappointed with his placement. “But it was the first time. And as a young racing driver you really want to get into a Formula 1 car, which is five levels above Formula 2. You need good self-confidence.”
Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu crashed in the third training session and was therefore unable to set a time in qualifying. The Chinese also shortened Bearman’s practice time in the red car. The 18-year-old Brit, 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.
Sainz complained of feeling unwell shortly after his arrival in Saudi Arabia and left the route again on Wednesday to recover in the hotel. He completed both units in training on Thursday. Last Saturday, Sainz finished third at the season opener in Bahrain. The Madrilenian native is driving his last season for Ferrari. Next year he will have to give up his place for record world champion Hamilton, who will move from Mercedes to Scuderia. Sainz does not yet have a new employer.
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Source: Nachrichten
