The dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), world championship leader eight points ahead of Hamilton, will start in third position, behind the other Mercedes driver, the Finn Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen, who could be proclaimed world champion this Sunday, was in a position to achieve pole position in his last attempt, with time already up, but collided with one of the protective barriers of the very fast Jeddah street circuit and had to settle for third place.
The Dutchman leads Hamilton by 8 points with two races to go and to be champion in Saudi Arabia, which hosts his first Grand Prix in history, he must add 18 points more than the British.
For this, the 24-year-old young driver should finish first or second, something that except for an accident is within his reach, and that his 36-year-old rival finishes far from the top positions, which seems less likely, although everything is possible in this tracing.
The 6,174km Jeddah Circuit has 27 corners, but most are not very steep. The expected average speed is 252 km / h, with a peak of 322 km / h, which makes it the fastest of the Formula 1 urban circuits.
The Briton will also have the advantage of having his teammate Bottas from behind, blocking Verstappen.
A victory for Hamilton with a fast lap included would allow the Briton to overtake Verstappen, if he finishes second, and even surpass him, if the Dutchman finishes further behind, and everything would remain to be decided in the last race of the 2021 Formula 1 season, on 12 December at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) completed the Top 5 of the starting grid.
Starting from 5th to 10th place: Frenchman Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), British Lando Norris (McLaren), Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), fellow Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Italian Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo).
The Spanish drivers, Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), did not qualify for Q3 and will start in 13th and 15th places respectively.
In the case of the Ferrari driver, he also suffered an exit from the track and a touch with the protection that made his car “uncontrollable”.
The start of the first Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, which will be held at night, will take place at 8:30 p.m. local time, at 2:30 p.m. in Argentina.
Source From: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
