GP Qualifying: Verstappen secures pole for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Leclerc and Perez follow

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Max Verstappen of Red Bull continued his strong start to the 2024 season by claiming his second consecutive pole position. The Dutch driver set a fastest lap of 1m 27.472s, outpacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.3 seconds.

Check out the results of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

Rookie Oliver Bearman, substituting for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, made a notable debut. Despite minimal preparation, the 18-year-old narrowly missed Q3, finishing 11th.

Sergio Perez, last year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix winner, took third place. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, leveraging a tow from Lewis Hamilton, secured fourth position. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, again outqualifying teammate Lando Norris, took a spot on the third row, with both McLaren cars securing the third row.

Both Mercedes drivers placed seventh and eighth after failing to improve on their final runs. Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri qualified ninth, outperforming teammate Daniel Ricciardo, with Lance Stroll rounding out the top ten.

Nico Hulkenberg will start 15th due to a power issue that ended his session early. Alpine’s struggles continued, with both drivers exiting in Q1. Sauber also faced challenges; Zhou Guanyu's repaired car after a crash did not set a lap time, placing him last on the grid.

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