Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes his “car came alive” during Qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the reigning World Champion claimed a sensational pole position.
The Dutchman produced a scintillating final lap at the very end of Q3 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to claim top spot by just 0.010s from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with Mercedes’ George Russell also close in P3.
Pole position for Sunday’s race signifies a remarkable turnaround for the four-time World Champion and Red Bull, with the combination only able to salvage sixth in Bahrain last time out after struggling for performance.
But around the high-speed Jeddah Circuit, Verstappen was able to match the performance he achieved in Japan by taking pole position and he explained how the RB21 significantly improved in the night time conditions.
‘I will give it everything’ – Determined Verstappen ‘very proud’ after bagging Jeddah pole
“I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here, especially after FP3 looking at how the whole weekend was,” said Verstappen after hopping out of the car.
“The car came alive in the night, we made some final changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me and, around here, a qualifying lap is extremely difficult because of all the walls, you need to try and nail it.
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“It’s really satisfying to be first here in Qualifying, it is of course the best position for tomorrow, even though I think tomorrow in the race it will be tough to keep them behind but we’re going to give it a good go.”
Verstappen’s strong showing came despite being unable to match the McLarens of both Piastri and Drivers’ Championship leader Lando Norris in practice.
But Verstappen’s task was made slightly easier after Norris crashed out at the start of Q3 after running wide over the kerb at Turn 4 before colliding with the barrier.
Verstappen heads Piastri and Russell for Sunday’s race in Jeddah
Having beaten Piastri’s benchmark with his first lap by just 0.001s, both drivers found even more time with their second efforts as Verstappen finished with a 1m 27.294s, leaving him 0.010s clear of Piastri.
When asked to elaborate on how the “car came alive” during the cooler, evening conditions, Verstappen added: “Just compared to what most of the teams have.
“Like FP3 McLaren were so far ahead that I don’t think anyone really thought that it was possible to beat them. It still shows of course our limitations but then when everything cools down a bit more, we are competitive.
«Tomorrow is another story when the temperatures are again hot on the tyres. When you are in your stint, it will be tough, but we are going to give it everything we have.”
When asked what the biggest challenge would be in the race, Verstappen said: “Mainly keeping them behind because they are so fast in all the race runs so far this weekend compared to any other team.
“I do feel a bit better with what we have done to the car but I’m not sure it’s going to be enough. That’s the exciting bit, we don’t fully understand or know what is going to happen, the only thing that I do know is I will give it everything.”
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