Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will look to take an important step towards the F1 title when the championship rivals battle for pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix today ahead of Sunday’s race. Mercedes set the early pace in Friday’s practice sessions in Jeddah, with Hamilton topping FP1 and teammate Valtteri Bottas leading the way in FP2 on a wickedly quick track at the Corniche Circuit, but Verstappen was not far behind in the Red Bull. Indeed, the Dutchman then went fastest on the softs in FP3 on Saturday afternoon, beating Hamilton by two-tenths.
Hamilton converted from pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix to cut Verstappen’s championship lead to eight points last time out, and a similar starting position for the penultimate race of the season could be vital in what is a brand-new street circuit where overtaking may be difficult. The seven-time champion was happy with Mercedes’ pace but did raise some concerns over his car’s one-lap showings, revealing that more work was needed ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.
“We’re not rapid on the single lap, I would say, compared to the others, but our long-run pace seemed like it was not too bad... Who knows what’s going on?” Hamilton said, while adding that the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was “unbelievably quick” during Friday’s practice sessions. “It really is incredibly fast,” he said. “But if you can get the rhythm, it’s beautiful to drive.” Follow all the build-up and results from qualifying LIVE below:
