F1 Qualifying Report & Results 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Event: Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix
Track: Jeddah Street Circuit

Weather: dry 31°C
Tarmac: dry 36°C
Humidity: 45%
Wind: 3.6 km/h

Max Verstappen qualified as quickest for the 42nd time in his F1 career and scored his second pole position for tomorrow's 5th Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It was his second pole of the season and the 106th pole in total for Red Bull Racing.

Verstappen Snatches Saudi Pole in Nail-Biting Jeddah Qualifying

Four teams in the top four. Two McLarens split by chaos. And Max Verstappen, once again, finds a way. The 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying session under the floodlights of Jeddah delivered high drama, narrow margins, and a pole position decided by just one-hundredth of a second. Buckle up, F1 fans—this one had everything.

Max at Midnight – Pole Number Two in 2025

The reigning champ did it again—somehow. In a car that still isn’t quite the class of the field, Max Verstappen wrung every drop of pace out of his Red Bull RB21 to edge out Oscar Piastri by 0.010s. That’s right—a single blink slower, and Piastri would’ve taken it.

“Very happy! I didn’t expect to be on pole here,” said Verstappen. “The car came alive at night and we made some last-minute tweaks. It finally felt like it had grip again.”

It was a performance of vintage Max—calculated, confident, and just enough. With two wins from the opening five rounds now a real possibility, Verstappen is proving he's still the man to beat… even if the car says otherwise.

Piastri's Statement of Intent

Oscar Piastri came heartbreakingly close to his first pole of the season. The McLaren looked dialled in from FP1, and the Australian delivered a lap that looked unbeatable—until Max turned the timing screens purple.

“That lap was about as good as I could do,” said Piastri. “Max just found something extra again at a high-speed circuit.”

Still, P2 gives Piastri a perfect launchpad to challenge for the win—and potentially the Championship lead—if he can nail Turn 1 on Sunday.

Norris Crashes Out After Leading Practice

It was shaping up to be a front-row lockout for McLaren, with Lando Norris topping final practice and looking confident through Q1 and Q2. But the tightrope act of Jeddah bit hard in Q3.

With the wall fast approaching in the final sector, Norris kissed the kerb just a touch too much. The car snapped sideways and thumped into the barriers. Red flag. Game over. And no time on the board.

“Idiot,” Norris muttered over team radio. The pain was audible.

He’s set to start P10—if the gearbox checks out. Expect a storming comeback drive.

Russell Roars, Antonelli Impresses

George Russell continues to put in quietly brilliant performances. The Mercedes driver clocked in third, just 0.097s off pole, and will fancy his chances in the race.

“Before quali, I’d have taken P3,” said Russell. “But it was that close… you always think there’s a bit more.”

And then there's Kimi Antonelli—just his fifth Grand Prix weekend, and already P5 on the grid, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. The hype is real.

Ferrari: Better, but Still Work to Do

Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, but the SF-25 still seems a little twitchy in the fast stuff. Carlos Sainz lines up sixth, while Hamilton’s underwhelming qualifying sees him in seventh—still searching for harmony with the Scuderia.

Yuki, Pierre, and… Lando?

Completing the top ten: Yuki Tsunoda (P8), Pierre Gasly (P9), and the aforementioned Norris with a DNF-qualifying in tenth. Gasly even clipped the wall in Q1—but lived to tell the tale.

Midfield Mayhem: Williams Strong, Alpine Sloppy

Albon was knocking on Q3’s door again, eventually settling for 11th. Lawson impressed again for RB in 12th. Alonso’s gamble on used tyres didn’t pay off (13th), and Bearman and Hadjar rounded out Q2.

Q1 was where the chaos began. Bortoleto spun at Turn 1 and ended up last. Doohan, Stroll, Hulkenberg and Ocon joined him in the drop zone—Kick Sauber and Alpine looking well off the pace here.

Saturday's Headlines, Sunday's Drama

So far this season, every race has been won from pole. But can Verstappen hang on to that statistic with McLaren breathing down his neck?

Piastri’s chasing the win. Norris is on a mission. Russell’s hungry. And Antonelli? The rookie might just throw a spanner in everyone's plans.

With the barriers unforgiving, strategy wide open thanks to softer tyres, and the Saudi night promising chaos, anything could happen.

Race Start: Sunday 20:00 local time (19:00 CET)

Quali Times 2025 Saudi Arabian GP

✅ Don't forget to check out the 2025 Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix preview.

The pole position time of last season in Jeddah was a 1:27.472 min driven by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB20.

✅ Check out more posts with related topics: