Antonelli Takes Pole Position at F1 Qualifying as Verstappen Secures Second Spot
Mercedes rookie delivers strong response after sprint race disappointment in dramatic qualifying session
Quick Look
- Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the F1 qualifying session in Saudi Arabia, delivering a superb response after his poor sprint race performance.
- The Mercedes rookie beat Max Verstappen to take first place, with Charles Leclerc finishing third and Lando Norris fourth.
- The session was affected by challenging weather conditions, particularly wind, which impacted leading car performances.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
This qualifying session took place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes rookie, had suffered a disappointing sprint race where he lost positions. The session was notable for unusual weather conditions affecting car performance, with wind being a significant factor according to commentators.
Kimi Antonelli secured a remarkable pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying session, delivering a superb response after his disappointing sprint race performance. The Mercedes rookie beat Max Verstappen to take first place, with Charles Leclerc finishing third and Lando Norris fourth.
The championship leader's day had begun badly with his poor start in the sprint but that was a perfect response. Only he and Verstappen broke 1:28. Antonelli has joined Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher in taking his first three poles consecutively.
The session was affected by challenging weather conditions, particularly wind speed and direction, which impacted the leading cars' performances. Ted Kravitz noted that McLaren's success on Saturday had left them happy, while their rivals were less happy and had found some additional performance.
Zak Brown revealed that Norris had a loss of power at turn 16, with McLaren initially blaming wind but later identifying it as a boost problem. The McLaren CEO expressed confidence that both Norris and Piastri could do better in Q3 to threaten Verstappen's pole attempt.
It was a weird old Q1, with leading teams conserving tyres on some drivers, making all comparisons difficult. There was drama as Bortoleto's car caught fire during Q1, and the session was delayed during Q2 as marshals recovered his car.
Piastri and Norris were on new tyres for Q3, with Norris immediately going half a second quicker. However, Norris was talking about a loss of power at turn 16, with McLaren blaming wind. Antonelli's response to the sprint race has been superb, going into the 1:27s - three tenths faster than Leclerc, Verstappen and Norris.
Final qualifying results: Antonelli took pole, Verstappen second, Leclerc third, Norris fourth, Russell fifth, Hamilton sixth, and Piastri seventh.
Open Questions
- How will the weather conditions affect tomorrow's race?
- Can McLaren resolve the power issues before the race?
- Will Antonelli maintain his pole position in the actual race?
