Hamilton takes pole position in Jeddah as Verstappen rues late blunder ahead of the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen’s mistake at turn 27 ended the Dutchman’s pole hopes as Mercedes lockout the front row with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Valtteri Bottas for the start of Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman may have to endure a penalty to make matters worse if his gearbox needs replacing after his incident at the end of Q3,

Q1

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Williams’ George Russell was out of the pit lane first as the drivers looked to set some early banker times.

The session’s first competitive time was set by Verstappen as his blistering 1:28.659 was almost half a second quicker than Lando Norris’ early 1:29.136.

With 10 minutes to go, Hamilton topped the timesheet with a 1:28.466, pipping Verstappen to the summit by just under two-tenths.

Both McLarens moved into the top three moments later with Norris in second and Daniel Ricciardo in third. However, Bottas had other ideas as the Finn went second fastest and knocked the two McLarens down to third and fourth.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz moved to the top of the timesheets with eight minutes to go as he set a 1:28.330.

Two minutes later, Verstappen reclaimed first with a 1:28.285 as Perez went fourth fastest, just under two-tenths off his teammate’s time.

The times started to fly in as Bottas posted a 1:28.057 to claim the top spot before Perez demonstrated his quick pace with a 1:28.021 moments later.

The drivers eliminated from Q1 were Nicholas Latifi, Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Q2

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The first drivers to return to the track were Pierre Gasly ahead of Perez and Yuki Tsunoda as the second qualifying session got underway.

Verstappen again set Q2’s first competitive time with his 1:27.953 close to a second faster than his teammate Perez’s time.

Leclerc’s impressive pace put him into second but he was quickly displaced by Bottas who went second quickest with Hamilton moving into fourth.

Sainz pushed hard through sector one and made an incredible save at turn 11 as his Ferrari bounced over the kerb, however, the Spaniard was unable to avoid the wall as his rear wing clipped the barrier which saw him pit for repairs.

With four minutes to go, Perez returned to the summit after he went seven-thousandths quicker than Verstappen with a 1:27.946.

On his final attempt, Sainz saw his lap ruined as the rear of his Ferrari continued to cause problems. Moments later, Hamilton went fastest with a 1:27.712 and ended the session on top..

The drivers eliminated from Q2 were Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, George Russell and Carlos Sainz.

Q3

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Leclerc led the way in Q3 as he left the pit lane ahead of Mercedes duo Bottas and Hamilton.

A huge moment for Hamilton followed at turn nine which forced him to abort his first flying lap attempt as his tyre temperatures weren’t at the optimal level.

Bottas posted a 1:28.143 to kick start the session before Leclerc set a 1:28.481 to move second before Tsunoda snatched the position away from the Ferrari man by going four-hundredths quicker.

Hamilton went top with a 1:28.035 but Verstappen was about to snatch that away from him as he set a purple sector one.

The Dutchman eventually posted a 1:27.653 which moved him to the summit by three-tenths with just over five minutes to go.

Bottas set another competitive time which moved him into second but the Finn still had a fair bit of time to make up if he was going to challenge for pole position.

With a minute to go, Hamilton moved up to provisional pole as he set an incredible 1:27.511. Bottas moved up to second as Verstappen began his final flying lap.

The Dutchman was two-tenths up on Hamilton through the second sector split and tried to take as much road as possible on the exit of turn 27, but in doing so, locked up on entry and collided with the wall.

Mercedes occupy the front row ahead of tomorrow’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Hamilton in first and Bottas in second. Verstappen qualified third but could be further down the field if he endures a penalty after his incident in Q3.

Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon and Antonio Giovinazzi round out the top 10 starters ahead of the main event in Jeddah.

What’s Next?

Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on pole ahead of his Mercedes teammate Bottas in second and Verstappen, who may need to take a grid penalty for a new gearbox after his crash, in third.

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