Max Verstappen will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from third on the grid after a crucial error in the final corners of his final flying lap in Q3 saw him hit the wall and lose pole position to title rival Lewis Hamilton. Sergio Pérez will line up in P5.
In Q3 Hamilton had laid down the gauntlet with his second run of the final session, posting a blistering lap of 1:27.511. But just before the chequered flag came out Max crossed the line to start his final flying lap and the Dutchman quickly got his head down as he powered to a purple first sector.
The gains continued in the middle part of the track as he went purple again, and pole position looked guaranteed as he went two tenths clear of Hamilton at that point. But pushing to the end, Max made a small mistake in the final corner and locked his front-left tyre.
He slid wide and slapped the wall with the rear-right of his RB16B and then with the front. The lap was gone and Max was forced to settle for third place on the grid behind pole-sitter Hamilton and second-placed Bottas.
Mac Verstappen (P3)
“I was on a really good lap until I lost it on the final corner, I thought I had approached it in the same way I had been doing all session, but I lost the rear. I’m upset with myself and it is of course disappointing but there are two races to go and anything can happen.
We had a good car in qualifying and everything was coming together which gives me hope going into the race tomorrow, also knowing that the pace was there today. I hope we can follow well tomorrow and if that’s the case, there should be some good opportunities and we should have a good shot.”
Sergio Perez (P5)
“We were P1 in Q1 and Q2 and then in Q3 I don’t think the approach we took with the tyres was the right one. I suddenly picked up a lot of understeer and couldn’t match my Q2 time, which is a bit of a shame. These tyres are so picky that if you are not in the right temperature window then your balance is totally different and that is what happened to me today. It is a physically demanding track, it puts a lot of stress on your body and mentally it is challenging too to be up there session after session.
Today wasn’t an ideal day for us as a Team but tomorrow there is still a lot to play for, it is going to be a long race and anything can happen still. I am looking forward to it, the pace was there today and I really hope we can improve on our starting position and get into the podium positions very early on. We will see if starting on the clean side of the grid tomorrow is an advantage, I think the start is a good chance to overtake, then we will go from there and try to be in the mix with the leaders straight away.”
Christian Horner , Team Principal
“It was looking like the lap of the year up until that moment. It’s a great shame as it was a mighty, mighty lap and he was pulling something very special out of the bag. Max will be frustrated I am sure as he knows what a good lap it was, but he just needs to put it behind him now.
He’s still P3 on the grid and he just needs to have a good start, as anything could happen in this race. Unfortunately, we are on the back foot now, so we’ll get the car back and hope the damage isn’t too bad. Grid position on any street circuit is crucial and it’s going to be very hard to overtake here, so it’s all going to be about strategy and Checo could have a major part to play in the race.”
