The only thing that remains is the fight for the checkered flag.
So he has already done this season, Max Verstappen has surprised everyone by taking pole position for the Saudi Aarabic Grand Prix, which ended 0.010 seconds for Oscar Piestri. But as Red Bull Team Christian Horner Note after qualifying, Verstappen will have his hands full when the lights go out later today.
“But what we have seen this weekend, the McLaren is varying, vary quickly, especially in Race trim. So I think we will have a hell of a fight to keep Oscar behind us. But we start in the best possession, so bone to go on a pole,” Horner said when they play with pole, “” Sky Sports F1 After the session.
“To be honest, I did not believe that that was possible in that session. But it only shows, you never give up. We have a great team, you keep fighting. You continue to chase the performance and the Max, he will deliver you the last last last last time.
Whether Versppen Piastri can indeed last, is one of the most important points of attention that will be on their way to the Saudi -Arab Grad Prix on Sunday.
A fascinating fight on the front
So far this week it seems like a few short weeks of Aug. while the McLaren of Lando Norris and Piastri entered on Saturday as favorites for pole position, it was Verstappen that P1 took from the papaya pair and held that place during the race itself.
A race that sometimes looked more like a parade than on a large prix, given the lack of overtaking.
While passing with a premium around the Jeddah Corniche circuit comes, it is impossible. Combining three drs zones and 27 corners to offer drivers opportunities to come up with subland on the circuit. While Verstappen has the advantage of the line, the run to left -handed turn 1 Piastri gives the chance to take the lead. But if the Australian driver Verstappen cannot catch the start, the pace of the MCL39 should give him more opportunities.
And if Verstappen and Piaastri Tampling go, it could open the door for George Russell, who starts the third?
What about the other drivers at the front?
Could Sumone make a run outside the top three at the checkered flag?
Charles Leclerc starts fourth, Russell in the second row. But the Ferrari driver did not sound all too trust in his chances of fighting ahead on Sunday. After the F1 channel office after qualifying, Leclerc spoke his chances and did not hide his ‘disappointment’.
“They are mixed feelings,” said the Ferrari director. ‘Yes, I am happy with my work, but I am disappointed about it [the result]. Fighting for P4 is not what I want and not what I am happy, so for now I am just disappointed. “
As far as his teammate, Lewis Hamilton sounded a little more cheerful after Qalifying Sevth, and passed the subimism on the way to Sunday.
“I would not say that I am satisfied, but I am happier than yesterday, and also because of every practice I was 12 or 13th” Sky Sports F1. “I just didn’t feel well with the car under me, it wasn’t easy at all, so just to drop in Q3, it doesn’t matter how close it is, I am grateful that I ended up to Q3. P7 is okay, it’s better than my last qualification and so I still dropped work to gel with this car.
“We didn’t really do a long term in practice, but this is I think a song where I think there is a subsum to catch up, so [I’m] I look out. “
A driver to keep an eye on is Kimi Antonelli, who will start the fifth. Although P4 was certainly on the table in his mind.
“That was a different intense qualification,” said Antonelli in the post-qualifying report of the team. “The session as a whole went well and I continued to build my sphered. Until the last effort anyway.
The Confides certainly builds in his mind, so that he could make a dark horse on Sunday.
“I feel more and more confident every weekend. This track is such a big test because you need a lot of confidence and to get really close to the walls through the high-speed corners,” Antonelli added. “Step by step, and the more experience I get, I feel that I am starting to put it all together with more consistentcy. Let us not lead ourselves and see what we can do tomorrow.
“It will be a long race and hopefully we can bring Sub solid points home for the team.”
Can Lando Norris restore again?
For the second Sunday in a row, Lando Norris is confronted with the prospects of a recovery drive.
Norris started sixth last Sunday in Bahrain. He stepped on an AAAA trendous start and picked up several places shortly after the lights went out to crawl to P3, but he was then cited for a false start, so he had to serve a five -second criminal.
I was finally finished third, which you could consider, seen where he started. But the false start the fine, may have cost him a chance to get even more land on the circuit and in the rankings.
Now he has to pick up even more land in Saudi Aarabia, because his crash in Q3 has smoked your tenth on the schedule. He will have Submail to pick up places, and there can always be an intervention in the form of a safety car or two, but McLaren may have to roll the strategy with Norris or they maximize his results on Sundays.
Advantage, Williams?
If it’s on its way to this week, midfield fight is fascinating. Only 14 points divorce in P5 to Sauber in P10 in the rankings of the Constructs’ Championship:
Haas: 20 points
Williams: 19 points
Aston Martin: 10 points
Vcarb: 7 points
Alpine: 6 points
Sauber: 6 points
Alpine has the Tibeaker benefit compared to Sauber thanks to the seventh place results of Pierre Gasly
Thanks to the qualifying results on Saturday you could think that Williams has the advantage. Carlos Sainz Jr. Starts in P6, his best qualifying result of the season. Add Alex Albon from P11 and Williams has a great chance of a doble potis result.
But Sainz is not the only midfield driver who starts in the top ten. Gasly You have a solid chance of the other great results of themselves, so he will be in Nanth when the lights go out.
The Visa Cash App Racing Bulls duo by Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who start P11 and P14 respectively. Can they work ahead and strategy ahead?
Williams may have the advantage of midfield when the lights go out on Sunday, but everything can happen on the racing day.
Especially because of …
The Chaos Factor
Yes, the chaos factor.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the fastest street circits in the world, and a trail that punishes Mystakes. 27 corners and threatening walls can convert a glory round into a disaster in the eye of an eye, which means that the teams are preparing for intervention in the form of a security car.
Since its founding in 2021, Evy Saudi -Arabian Grad Prix has seen at least one Safty Car. That was the case last year when the Lance Stroll crash bought the Safety Car in round 7 and saw most of the field diving into the pits to apply their mandatory tire changes.
But the inaugural Saudi -Arab Grand Prix in 2021 not only saw a Safety Car but two red flags and four virtual safety car periods.
The chaos factor can be high today, and the teams that deal with the best with the best can rule.