Lando Norris crashed out of qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen claimed a brilliant pole position.
The championship leader branded himself a “f*****g idiot” on the radio after hitting the kerbs at turns four and five and crashing into the wall during his first run in Q3.
His session was over and Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and George Russell were left to slug it out for pole, with the Dutchman banishing pre-race talk over his future with another scintillating qualifying performance.
Russell will line up third for Mercedes after another fine display, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing qualifying form continued as he could manage only seventh.
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F1 SAUDI ARABIAN GP - LATEST UPDATES
- The Saudi Arabian GP will start at 6pm (BST)
- Max Verstappen claims pole position in Saudi Arabia; Piastri 2nd; Russell 3rd
- Click HERE for the top-10 in qualifying in Jeddah
- Lando Norris crashes OUT of qualifying in championship blow
- Aston Martin ‘set to offer £226m for reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen’
When is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
20:22
,
Kieran Jackson
Time BST
Sunday 20 April
- Race: 6pm
Red Bull boss Christian Horner:
20:12
,
Kieran Jackson
“If you can convert from pole, you can run in clean air - no turbulence. But the McLaren is very quick, particularly in race-trim. We’ll have a hell of a fight on to keep Oscar behind us.
“Honestly, I did not believe it was possible going into that session - we never give up.”
WATCH: A closer look at Norris's crash
19:59
,
Kieran Jackson
What happened to Norris? pic.twitter.com/t0uOGKabB5
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Max Verstappen after claiming pole position:
19:46
,
Kieran Jackson
I'm very happy, definitely didn't expect to be on pole here after FP3. We made some final changes, it was a lot more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me, a qualifying lap is extremely difficult, it's really satisfying - the best position tomorrow, it will be tough to keep them behind.
“We'll do our best, I'm just very happy with a solid qualifying, much better than Bahrain of course, and let's see what we can do in the race."
George Russell after qualifying P3...
19:25
“Before the session, I’d have taken a P3. I was happy with the lap but there may have been more there. McLarens are quick here, Max did a great job.
“It was a tricky session, one lap at the end was all that counted. P3 is a great race to start.”
TOP-10 IN SAUDI ARABIA GP QUALIFYING
19:22
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. Oscar Piastri
3. George Russell
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Kimi Antonelli
6. Carlos Sainz
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Yuki Tsunoda
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Lando Norris
Max Verstappen on team radio:
19:17
,
Kieran Jackson
“Oh my god guys, simply lovely!
“I’m very happy with that, very happy with that - the car really came alive in the night! Well done!”
Max Verstappen on pole position!
19:11
,
Kieran Jackson
It was Russell, then it was Piastri, but by the end it’s Verstappen on pole!
Stunning lap!
By 0.010 seconds to Piastri! And a tenth of a second to Russell!
3-10: Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Sainz, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Gasly, Norris (no time)
Max Verstappen goes on provisional pole!
19:06
,
Kieran Jackson
By 0.001 seconds, Verstappen goes above Piastri!
In actual fact, Verstappen the only leading contender who is going to try two laps here!
Both Mercedes and Ferrari cars deciding not to do two laps, they’ll just have one go at it here!
Q3 resumes!
19:02
,
Kieran Jackson
Will they have time for two flying laps?
Should do, for most of them...
WATCH: Norris's crash
18:59
RED FLAG
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Lando Norris crashes at start of Q3! He reports he is ok in the car. pic.twitter.com/DuiR9ABEPy
Norris's crash!
18:54
,
Kieran Jackson
Norris just looked to correct a mistake over the kerb, before slamming into the wall!
“Yeah all good. F***** idiot!”
That’s Norris out of qualifying! And near-certainly P10!
Big moment in the world championship!
RED FLAG!
18:53
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris is in the wall!
“I’m OK,” says Norris.
Session stopped with 8:32 to go!
Time for Q3!
18:48
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then for the top-10 shootout!
McLaren the favourites but Verstappen and Russell are there or thereabouts!
10 drivers involved: Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Tsunoda, Russell, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Gasly, Sainz
Lewis Hamilton sneaks through in 10th!
18:42
,
Kieran Jackson
Relief for Hamilton... he’s through, just, by seven milliseconds!
Bottom-five and out in Q2 (11-15): Albon, Lawson, Alonso, Hadjar, Bearman
Gasly and Sainz the drivers outside the big teams to make the top-10!
Top-3: Norris, Verstappen, Piastri
Alex Albon up to P6!
18:39
,
Kieran Jackson
Williams are quick!
Both their drivers in the top-10 currently, with Albon going sixth!
Pierre Gasly drops into the bottom-five ahead of the final push laps in Q2, 2:00 to go!
Current bottom-five (11-15): Gasly, Bearman, Hadjar, Alonso, Lawson
Ollie Bearman in bottom-five currently!
18:34
,
Kieran Jackson
Bearman P12, a few tenths short of the top-10.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Albon, Bearman, Hadjar, Alonso, Lawson
At the top, it’s Norris-Verstappen-Piastri the top-three.
7:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway!
18:28
,
Kieran Jackson
Time for the second phase of qualifying in Jeddah!
Again, we will lose the slowest five drivers ahead of the top-10 shootout later!
Lewis Hamilton safe!
18:21
Hamilton goes P9 at the end!
At the bottom, Lance Stroll is out for Aston Martin! Gabriel Bortoleto had a spin at turn 2, too, and is out in P20!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Stroll, Doohan, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bortoleto
Top-3: Verstappen, Norris, Piastri
Lewis Hamilton goes P10!
18:14
,
Kieran Jackson
Hamilton moves up to 10th, but is still just two-tenths clear of the dangerzone... he may well have to go quicker!
Most drivers in the pits now, as they ready themselves for their third and final push laps!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Doohan, Lawson, Gasly, Ocon, Bortoleto
4:00 to go in Q1..
Lewis Hamilton in bottom-five!
18:12
,
Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton is out on track for a second flying lap, but he’s currently in P18!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Lawson, Gasly, Hamilton, Ocon, Bortoleto
7:00 to go in Q1...
Oscar Piastri quickest early on!
18:09
,
Kieran Jackson
P1 by 0.007 secs to Norris - even though it doesn’t matter yet!
Verstappen third, Russell fourth, Tsunoda fifth. Hamilton will have to go again in eighth.
10:00 to go in Q1, with some drivers still needing to set their first laps.
Qualifying underway!
18:00
,
Kieran Jackson
The fifth grand prix qualifying session of the season is underway!
There was a long queue at the end of the pit-lane about two minutes before the green light flashed!
18 minutes here where, by the end, we will lose the slowest five drivers from the rest of the qualifying session!
Qualifying in Saudi Arabia!
17:57
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris deep in conversation with his engineer Will Joseph in the McLaren garage ahead of qualifying - he was the pace-setter earlier, can he claim his first pole position since the season-opener in Australia?
We’re about to find out!
Martin Brundle on Norris' self-critical mentality:
17:54
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Kieran Jackson
“Lando comes out with many emotive words, he beats up on himself, that’s his way.
“They feed his rivals.”
Sebastian Vettel on Lando Norris's mentality:
17:49
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Kieran Jackson
Sebastian Vettel's view on the new generation ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PNhUSG8Sqr
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 18, 2025
Oscar Piastri, ahead of Saudi Arabia GP:
17:35
,
Kieran Jackson
“It’s been a great start to the season, I’m very proud of it.
“Hopefully we can keep it going, it’s been good so far.
“The best way to launch a championship challenge is to execute on a race weekend.”
Martin Brundle reveals George Russell concern amid Max Verstappen speculation
16:43
,
Kieran Jackson
“I think if Max Verstappen sprung into the marketplace, I would be quite worried for George, actually, because Kimi is obviously their man for the future,” Brundle said on Sky Sports.
“So there’s a lot of ifs in there. George is doing a great job for him as team leader, but Toto missed Max once, I don’t think that he’ll miss him a second time should he get the opportunity.”
TOP-10 IN FP3
15:50
1. Norris - 1:27:489
2. Piastri +0.024
3. Russell +0.627
4. Verstappen +0.845
5. Leclerc +0.883
6. Albon +0.900
7. Sainz +1.081
8. Gasly +1.136
9. Tsunoda +1.181
10. Antonelli +1.190
Start times for the Saudi Arabian GP:
15:35
,
Kieran Jackson
All times BST
Saturday 19 April
- Qualifying: 6pm
Sunday 20 April
- Race: 6pm
FP3 DONE!
15:33
,
Kieran Jackson
That’s it for practice in Jeddah - and McLaren lead the away, much like last night!
Lando Norris keeps P1 with a 0.024 lead to Oscar Piastri, with George Russell in third.
4-10: Verstappen, Leclerc, Albon, Sainz, Gasly, Tsunoda, Antonelli
Hamilton P12 in the end.
Lando Norris goes P1!
15:27
,
Kieran Jackson
A statement from Lando!
Norris usurps his teammate at the top by 0.024 secs.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, saying he has “no grip.” Hamilton struggling down in P12 so far for the Ferrari driver...
Oscar Piastri goes even quicker!
15:16
,
Kieran Jackson
After a lull in proceedings, a lot of cars are now out on track with 15 minutes to go!
Oscar Piastri goes quicker still with a 1:27:513, 0.158 secs ahead of Lando Norris in second.
George Russell is third, seven-tenths off Piastri, with Alex Albon in fourth for Williams.
5-10: Verstappen, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton
Yuki Tsunoda P6!
15:06
,
Kieran Jackson
Tsunoda puts in a sold lap time, just three-tenths short of his teammate Max Verstappen to go sixth-fastest.
Just under half the session to go now!
Oscar Piastri now top of the table!
14:57
,
Kieran Jackson
Normal order resumed at the top, with Oscar Piastri top of the timesheet, 0.158 seconds ahead of teammate Lando Norris.
3-10: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Bearman, Doohan, Gasly, Ocon
35:00 to go...
Charles Leclerc P1!
14:53
,
Kieran Jackson
A lot of laps being set on the softs now... with Charles Leclerc currently top despite almost colliding with the wall at the final corner!
Verstappen 2nd, with Piastri 3rd, Hamilton 4th and Norris 5th.
38:00 to go...
Ollie Bearman on team radio:
14:45
,
Kieran Jackson
“The front axle is way quicker than yesterday - that’s a good thing.”
Now over half the grid are out on track, with 45 minutes left...
Only 5 cars out on track
14:39
,
Kieran Jackson
Doohan, Bortoleto, Alonso, Stroll and Ocon are the only cars out on track at the moment, 10 minutes in.
It seems like most of the grid are just waiting for the temperatures to drop further, for more representative running ahead of qualifying later.
RED BULL STATEMENT:
14:35
,
Kieran Jackson
“As you can see there will be a slight delay to starting the session for Car 22.
“They are just about to finish the rebuild from Yuki’s crash in FP2.”
FP3 underway!
14:32
,
Kieran Jackson
Third practice underway, with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto (who missed the whole of FP2) the first and only car out on track from the start!
Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull car, after that crash in FP2, is definitely not ready for the start of this session, with mechanics working frantically in the tight pit-side garages in Jeddah!
FP3 coming up!
14:27
So, who will impress in the third and final hour of practice?
Lando Norris topped the timesheet in FP2 in a McLaren one-two - can any team usurp the papaya at the top?
Lewis Hamilton downbeat after Friday's practice sessions:
14:20
,
Kieran Jackson
"I'm just trying to see if I'm getting the top 10 at the moment," he sighed. "Not the greatest, we were struggling to get the tyres working.
"Normally, Saturday goes backwards, but there's not a lot backwards for me to go from where I am, so hopefully overnight we'll make some improvements to the car.”
Can Hamilton find that improvement in FP3?
Mercedes's George Russell, ahead of Saudi:
14:14
,
Kieran Jackson
“We don’t have a car to fight McLaren, but they’ve given the rest of us a few opportunities. Me and Max have jumped on the podium, we’ll take it but I don’t think those chances will last 20 more races.”
WATCH: Christian Horner on Max Verstappen's future
14:08
,
Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner says Max Verstappen WILL be a Red Bull driver next season ️ pic.twitter.com/SfqWtOXDY4
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 18, 2025
Aston Martin ‘set to offer £226m for reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen’
12:59
,
Kieran Jackson
Aston Martin are reportedly set to offer Max Verstappen £226m over three years in an attempt to persuade the Red Bull driver to switch teams next year.
Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen, who has a contract worth £50m-a-year at Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, is being heavily linked with Aston and Mercedes given Red Bull’s recent downturn in form and new regulations being enforced in 2026.
Aston have also recently recruited former Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, who is fully focused on next year’s car. Newey designed all four of Verstappen’s championship-winning cars at Red Bull.
Full story below:
F1 driver standings after four races
12:39
,
Kieran Jackson
4. George Russell – 63 points
5. Charles Leclerc – 35 points
6. Kimi Antonelli – 30 points
8. Alex Albon – 18 points
9. Esteban Ocon – 14 points
10. Lance Stroll – 10 points
11. Pierre Gasly – 6 points
12. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
13. Ollie Bearman – 6 points
14. Isack Hadjar – 4 points
16. Carlos Sainz – 1 point
17. Liam Lawson – 0 points
18. Jack Doohan – 0 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto – 0 points
20. Fernando Alonso – 0 points
A lovely moment between the Bearmans in Bahrain!
11:55
,
Kieran Jackson
A wholesome radio message from Ollie Bearman’s father and brother ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IpcKrvc17a
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 14, 2025
FP2 REPORT: Lando Norris sets practice pace after Yuki Tsunoda crashes at Saudi Arabian GP
09:59
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris set the pace in practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Christian Horner dismissed “noise” surrounding Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future.
Verstappen continued to battle balance issues with his car during Friday’s running in Jeddah, where he finished the day third fastest and almost three tenths adrift of Norris’ time.
Championship leader Norris had the edge on McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, with Charles Leclerc fourth for Ferrari.
Alonso's reaction to prospect of Verstappen at Aston Martin:
06:05
,
Kieran Jackson
Would Fernando Alonso welcome Max Verstappen as his Aston Martin team-mate next season? pic.twitter.com/4WGX1ijBCp
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 17, 2025
F1 constructor standings after four races:
02:02
,
Kieran Jackson
1. McLaren - 151 points
2. Mercedes - 93 points
3. Red Bull - 71 points
4. Ferrari - 57 points
5. Haas - 20 points
6. Williams - 19 points
7. Aston Martin - 10 points
8. Racing Bulls - 7 points
9. Alpine - 6 points
10. Sauber - 6 points
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, speaking to Sky Sports F1:
Friday 18 April 2025 20:30
,
Kieran Jackson
On Verstappen’s future: “Noise is exactly the word to describe it, a lot of noise outside the team.
“Max reaffimed his commitment yesterday. The rest is all speculation and hearsay.”
Yuki Tsunoda after his FP2 crash:
Friday 18 April 2025 19:45
,
Kieran Jackson
“Turned into much, clipped the wall, after that no control. Apologies to the team, pace was looking good - shame.
“The confidence level was pretty good, so far pretty OK.”
FULL FP2 RESULTS
Friday 18 April 2025 19:22
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris leads a McLaren 1-2 in FP2
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 18, 2025
Williams' Carlos Sainz impresses up in P5 #F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/PAliMa88JW