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 starts on pole position in Saudi Arabia; Piastri 2nd; Russell 3rd
- Click HERE for the full starting grid in Jeddah
- Lando Norris crashed OUT of qualifying in championship blow
- Lewis Hamilton admitted he is finding it 'very difficult' to drive the Ferrari car
When is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
14:40
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Kieran Jackson
Time BST
Sunday 20 April
- Race: 6pm
Charles Leclerc on the first four races of the season:
17:17
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Kieran Jackson
“It’s not the start of the season we dreamed of,” Leclerc tells Sky F1.
“We’re missing grip in low and medium speed. I would’ve expected us to be stronger here than the first part of the season. Lewis has been giving his view on certain situations, we have different approaches, but that’s the same for everyone in the paddock.”
“I think the podium in Bahrain was definitely possible. [This week], I like street tracks in general, maybe one of my favourite tracks of the season.”
Lewis Hamilton is finding his Ferrari F1 car ‘very difficult’ after Saudi GP qualifying
17:08
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Kieran Jackson
“It was challenging as always, qualifying for me,” Hamilton reflected afterwards. The 40-year-old has not qualified in the top three so far in 2025, aside from his sprint race win in China.
“I’ve been nowhere all weekend, 13th in almost every session.
“I feel grateful to have got to Q3. P7, not a spectacular last lap, we make improvements all weekend, needed a better lap at the end there.
“It’s been trying to find the time and bond with this car on a single lap, it’s something I’m finding very difficult at the moment.”
F1 driver standings after four races
17:00
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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
George Russell, ahead of the Saudi GP:
16:51
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Kieran Jackson
“I feel like since last year, I’ve been performing at a good level.
“We have to fight for the podium at a minimum, all the action will happen around the pit-stops. We don’t know if it will be a two-stop, between lap 10 and 20 we will see the most action.”
Lando Norris after his crash on Saturday:
16:40
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Kieran Jackson
On the race: “What am I thinking? I’ve not put my mind to tomorrow yet.
“Disappointed with today, I’ll go and see my engineers and we’ll look ahead to what we can do tomorrow. We know the car is good and quick.
On resetting: “I go and see my engineers, apologise, and see what we can do. Going to need some luck, nearly impossible to overtake here. If we can work our way to the top-six, we’ll be happy.
“I think to get close to the top-three is not very realistic, but top-five is our target.”
Norris starts P10 this evening.
A reminder of the starting grid in Jeddah:
16:30
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Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
6. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Lando Norris (McLaren)
11. Alex Albon (Williams)
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
14. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
15. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
17. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
19. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Lewis Hamilton in F1 fashion rebuke: ‘Black men have always had to be more excellent’
16:22
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Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has spoken in depth about his deep-rooted connection with fashion within Formula 1, commenting: “Black men have always had to be more excellent than our white counterparts.”
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton, 40, will co-host next month’s Met Gala in New York, having first attended the fashion event in 2015. The Briton also hosted a table for young black designers at the 2021 Met Gala.
Hamilton has, in recent years, attracted attention upon arriving in the F1 paddock with his own choice of bold attire, bucking the trend of drivers arriving in team-branded gear. Now, the sport’s only black driver has described how the stale world of mid-2000s F1 reacted to his initial clothing choices.
Full story below:
Martin Brundle on Norris' self-critical mentality:
16:11
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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.”
Kimi Antonelli after qualifying P5:
15:55
“A bit disappointed to be honest, made a mistake in turn 1 and lost three-tenths, but overall a decent performance. We've had a good start to the season, so far it's been good.
“Now looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.”
PREVIEW: How Saudi Arabia has sights set on F1 summit with $480m ‘Rainbow Road’ Qiddiya track
15:42
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Kieran Jackson
Initial glances at the future of Formula One in Saudi Arabia look like something out of another galaxy.
In fact, fans online have likened the renderings of Qiddiya Speed Park, due for completion in 2027 at a cost of $480m (£360m), to Rainbow Road in the video game Mario Kart. And with a 70m incline at turn one, nicknamed “The Blade”, it’s not actually as outlandish a comparison as it might seem.
Sebastian Vettel on Lando Norris's mentality:
15:40
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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
Max Verstappen after claiming pole position:
15:30
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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."
Alonso's reaction to prospect of Verstappen at Aston Martin:
15:10
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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
George Russell after qualifying P3:
14:59
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Kieran Jackson
“Nobody has touched the hard tyres this weekend, nobody knows if it’s a one or two-stop. The medium tyre didn’t look very good, a lot of degradation. If Oscar gets in the lead, I think he’ll go off.
“I want to keep consistent, keep getting points and podiums. If there’s a chance to do a bold undercut or go long, we’ll take it.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner, speaking to Sky Sports F1:
14:53
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Kieran Jackson
On Verstappen’s future: “Noise is exactly the word to describe it, a lot of noise outside the team.
“Max reaffirmed his commitment yesterday. The rest is all speculation and hearsay.”
Lando Norris crashes out of Saudi Arabia GP qualifying as Max Verstappen takes pole
14:33
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Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris crashed out of F1 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.
Full report below:
F1 constructor standings after four races:
14:30
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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
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff:
14:19
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Kieran Jackson
On McLaren being at the top: “Things can swing, you are talking about a few tenths, you can catch them.”
On Russell: “He’s going a top job. He’s such a stoic person, people talked about Lewis and Max, now you can see how he’s delivering. He’s performing in that car to the maximum. He’s getting better, better and better.”
On Antonelli: “It’s important to tackle it actively, he’s learning. I don’t want him to take any risks in the high speed.”
On potential of signing Verstappen: “I wouldn't say that, I don't flirt if I'm happy in the relationship in a professional way. I am super happy with the line-up we have, Max is at Red Bull, we haven't had a conversation."
Lewis Hamilton admits he’s finding Ferrari F1 car ‘very difficult’ after another poor qualifying
14:00
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Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton admits he’s finding it “very difficult” to bond with the Ferrari F1 car after another difficult qualifying session in Saudi Arabia.
Hamilton has been short of speed all weekend at the high-speed Jeddah street circuit and only narrowly managed to make the top-10 shootout in qualifying.
“It was challenging as always, qualifying for me,” Hamilton reflected afterwards. The 40-year-old has not qualified in the top three so far in 2025, aside from his sprint race win in China.
Full quotes below:
WATCH: Lando Norris reacts after crash in qualifying
13:02
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Kieran Jackson
"Just disappointed."
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Lando Norris after his crash in qualifying pic.twitter.com/qX9ggj4IAC
FULL STARTING GRID:
13:01
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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
11. Alex Albon
12. Liam Lawson
13. Fernando Alonso
14. Isack Hadjar
15. Ollie Bearman
16. Lance Stroll
17. Jack Doohan
18. Nico Hulkenberg
19. Esteban Ocon
20. Gabriel Bortoleto
Aston Martin ‘set to offer £226m for reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen’
12:02
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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:
George Russell on prospect of Mercedes signing Max Verstappen:
10:01
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Kieran Jackson
“Why wouldn’t they want to sign Max? It’s totally understandable,” Russell said.
“He’s the best at the moment. He’s a four-time world champion. That’s not anything against me or Kimi. There’s two drivers for every team and he is one person.
“So that doesn’t concern me one bit because the performance is my currency and right now I think I am performing as good as anyone on this grid.”
Max Verstappen responds to Red Bull F1 exit speculation: ‘A lot of people are talking’
08:04
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Kieran Jackson
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko poured fuel on the fire when he stated post-Bahrain that the team has “great concern” over Verstappen’s future, given their current struggles.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Verstappen said, in Thursday’s press conference at the Saudi Arabian GP, when asked why Marko made those comments.
“I just keep working, trying to improve the car. Naturally, Bahrain was not a great weekend for us. I think we were all pretty disappointed with that.
“We keep trying to come up with new ideas to try on the car, the competition is tough, that’s how i go about my weeks. Just trying to improve my situation.
Charles Leclerc on Ferrari development:
07:02
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Kieran Jackson
“Considering the characteristics of this track, we should make a small step forward compared to what we did in Bahrain,” Leclerc said.
“The numbers we hoped to see on the Sakhir circuit from this update are what we then saw. Here, we expect something more.
“We are three tenths away from McLaren, our performance is similar to that of Mercedes while Red Bull has been a bit more inconsistent so far, and this makes it more difficult to have a clear picture of their potential.”
Lando Norris planning to try new things to get ‘comfortable’ with his McLaren
04:01
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Kieran Jackson
“It is a weekend where I want to perform, I want to do well,” Norris said.
“But it is early enough in the season where, if I can work on some things and improve in some areas, that will pay off in the longer run.
“We have come into the weekend with a different approach, with a different mindset, different things to try.
“I needed a couple of days off, a reset. Probably would have liked a few more days but I made the most of my three days relaxing, getting away from it a little bit.”
Charles Leclerc on P4 in qualifying:
01:02
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Kieran Jackson
“I’m far from pleased, and very disappointed overall. When you do everything you can with the car overall, it’s P4, it’s very frustrating. At the end of the day, we don’t have enough grip to carry the speed they’re carrying.
“We expected more from a track like this.
“I don’t expect miracles. A miracle can only be a win. The podium I think is possible, it will rely a lot on the start.”
Ollie Bearman after qualifying P15:
Saturday 19 April 2025 23:59
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Kieran Jackson
“I honestly don’t think we had Q3 in us today. I was happy to get through Q1, it was a good lap I thought.
“It was a bit more difficult in Q2; I felt really good on the used tyre but then jumping onto the new set, it’s really difficult to get them into the correct window and unfortunately that was the case today – I didn’t improve on my new tyres.
“We’ve been decent on race trim this season though, so hopefully I have the pace delta I had last year and have a good race.”
FULL STARTING GRID:
Saturday 19 April 2025 21:28
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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
11. Alex Albon
12. Liam Lawson
13. Fernando Alonso
14. Isack Hadjar
15. Ollie Bearman
16. Lance Stroll
17. Jack Doohan
18. Nico Hulkenberg
19. Esteban Ocon
20. Gabriel Bortoleto
McLaren boss Zak Brown:
Saturday 19 April 2025 20:43
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Kieran Jackson
On Norris’s crash: “He said he was fine. Car is a little bruised, we’ll get this fixed and pick him up tomorrow.
“We’ll just focus on the race, maybe a one-stop, high chance of a safety car. He’ll certainly be quicker than he qualified.”
On the race: “Race pace is good, front row, he has a good chance, looking forward to a good duel tomorrow.”
Lewis Hamilton after qualifying P7:
Saturday 19 April 2025 20:30
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Kieran Jackson
“It was challenging as always, qualifying for me. I’ve been nowhere all weekend, 13th in almost every session.
“I feel grateful to have got to Q3. P7, not a spectacular last lap, we make improvements all weekend, needed a better lap at the end there.”
On his hopes to move up in the race: “Praying more like! It’s been trying to find the time and bond with this car on a single lap, it’s something I’m finding very difficult at the moment.
“But when there’s a will, there’s a way, we won’t give up, we’ll keep working hard.”
When is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
Saturday 19 April 2025 20:22
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Kieran Jackson
Time BST
Sunday 20 April
- Race: 6pm
Red Bull boss Christian Horner:
Saturday 19 April 2025 20:12
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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
Saturday 19 April 2025 19:59
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Kieran Jackson
What happened to Norris? pic.twitter.com/t0uOGKabB5
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Oscar Piastri after qualifying P2:
Saturday 19 April 2025 19:46
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Kieran Jackson
“I was pretty happy with it, not too much left in that lap. That was the best I could have done, Max has done a good job, another high-speed circuit where they seem to be having a bit more success. Still all to play for tomorrow, it will be a tough race.
“It’s tough around here, when you fall out of rhythm, it’s hard to get back in it! It’s a difficult track for sure, at night with soft tyres and high grip, it’s one of the best tracks we go to. A lot of adrenaline!”