F1 Qualifying Results 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Event: Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix
Track: Jeddah Street Circuit
Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12 during the Saudi Arabia GP at Jeddah Street Circuit (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)
Weather: dry 28.0°C
Tarmac: dry 31.0°C
Humidity: 72.8%
Wind: 0.6 m/s NW
Pressure: 1013.6 bar
Lewis Hamilton qualified as quickest for the 103rd time in his F1 career and scored pole position for tomorrow's first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver will start from P1 for 5th time this season. It was the 135th pole for the Mercedes F1 team.
Q1
The sun had set at the Red Sea for the first qualifying session for the first Saudi Arabian F1 GP ever. The Jeddah street circuit was light up by hundreds of floodlights. George Russell was ahead of the pack and put in the first lap time with the Williams. The Mercedes team had to switch the power unit in the back of Valtteri Bottas' car and was finished right on time for Q1.
After the first stint Lewis Hamilton was quickest with a 1:28.466 min. Hamilton had to drive two laps for it, because he made an error and had some traffic on his first run. With 5 minutes to go the driver in the drop zone were: George Russell (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), NIkita Mazepin (Haas) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams).
At the end of the session Bottas told his team his engine was misfiring and drove back to the pits. Only Russell improved enough to make it to Q2 for Williams.
Q2
All cars except the Williams of George Russell was fitted with the medium tyres to try and get into Q3. The tyre compound you drive the quickest lap time on in Q2 is the tyre you have to start the race on tomorrow. After the first run Verstappen was fastest with a 1:27.953 min which was the quickest lap time so far this weekend.
With 5 minutes to go the driver who had to improve to get into Q3 were: Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari). Sainz lost it in turn 11 and almost crashed the ferrari in the barrier. The Spanish driver managed to keep the Ferrari out of the barrier, but did hit the barrier with the tip of the rear wing of the SF21.
Giovinazzi and Ocon improved enough to get into the final session for Q3 and pushed out Mclaren driver Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen.
Q3
In the last session for pole Hamilton was the first to try on the first stint. His teammate Bottas was quicker in the first section. The finnish driver pushed out a 1:28.143 min which was fastest up till then. Hamilton recovered and pushed out a 1:28.035 out of the W12. Verstappen had not put in a quick lap until then but went faster and got purple on all sectors to go fastest with a 1:27.653 min. Bottas was second, Hamilton 3rd and Perez was 4th. Best of the rest was Lando Norris on P5 with the McLaren.
On the second and last stint Verstappen pushed out two purple sectors and was over 2 tents quicker than Hamilton, but went wide in the last turn and hit the wall which ended his lap.
Qualifying Times 2021 Saudi Arabian GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:28.466 | 1:27.712 | 1:27.511 | 23 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:28.057 | 1:28.054 | 1:27.622 | 24 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:28.285 | 1:27.953 | 1:27.653 | 19 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:28.310 | 1:28.459 | 1:28.054 | 24 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:28.021 | 1:27.946 | 1:28.123 | 23 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:28.401 | 1:28.314 | 1:28.125 | 26 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:28.338 | 1:28.344 | 1:28.180 | 21 |
| 8 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:28.503 | 1:28.222 | 1:28.442 | 26 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:28.752 | 1:28.574 | 1:28.647 | 22 |
| 10 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1:28.899 | 1:28.616 | 1:28.754 | 21 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:28.216 | 1:28.668 | 17 | |
| 12 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo | 1:28.856 | 1:28.885 | 18 | |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:28.944 | 1:28.920 | 17 | |
| 14 | 63 | George Russell | Williams | 1:28.926 | 1:29.054 | 17 | |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:28.237 | 16 | ||
| 16 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:29.177 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:29.198 | 10 | ||
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:29.368 | 9 | ||
| 19 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:29.464 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | 1:30.473 | 8 |
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Depending on the hit impact, I can envision a gearbox change, which would mean P8 on the grid. What an ending, though. Exciting QLF.
Yeah, don't forget he was over 2 tents faster than Hamilton until he outbreaked himself. Shit happens for Max, but I have no doubt he will bounce back.
I see some snowflakes have found their voice again. I guess the Brazil trauma has eased a bit, but Max on third can't be good for their nerves. Lol. Hammer is suppose to be the one with rattled nerves yet it's Max who makes a proper mistake. The oh so calm Max! Interesting.
Can Bottas get his nerves together? Will Max and Bottas collide? 🤔
You can't get away from the fact that: To qualify with a good time you have to do a good lap. Max failed and showed he is inadequate. It doesn't make him that bad a person, but does show that he isn't really on the same plane as Lewis. Yes, he might still win the championship, but, today, he showed he couldn't match a master. It takes something special to win multiple championships, and Max is a novice in that sphere.
And, hopefully Horner wont be screaming "cheat" Bless.
Experience & speed vs. stupidity & speed. WTF Max, you're 2 tenths up in the last corner of Q3, why would you outbrake your own silly self? That's what Horny and the doc should say. What they will say is that the kid always gives it his all.....well, sometimes your 'all' is too much.
Now get out there and crash again in the race. You can lose both championships all by yourself.
He outbraked his silly self according to you because Karma can do that Lol.
Remember this quote? "It seems the Knight's luck has finally run out". Still feel that way Old fella? Caz apparently Luck tried out Max and didn't like him so it ran back to Lewis in a hot second.😄
Let this be a lesson for you. Karma has a tendency to bite hard in the ass. And just when you think it's done, it returns to kick you in the balls. Lol. Potential transmission issues for Maxy is likely. #Monza!
The Max brigade seem to be very quiet? Sometimes someone does something that makes their inability obvious. You don't get points for coming off. Yet again he over-cooked it.
But, today, I do wonder what the chances are of Max not taking Lewis out? And if he does, I hope the stewards disqualify him from the race, or if Max puts himself out as well, he gets disqualified from the next race! I wonder whether the stewards would have the backbone to do that?
Oh, but I forgot.... drivers are now allowed to push others off the track aren't they?
It's not over until the fat lady sings...
I think she just sang! Plonker, Nobodysperfect..... and yours isn't is it?
But what a strange race that gave Maz every advantage..... but he lost. Oh well.... a loser...
And wait for the fall out of this..... Dangerous driving.
I will give you a scenario..... Verstappen loses his license! He is a menace. get rid of him.
Please remind me , Who Won this race?
(There will no replies or comments like "the sun was in his eyes").... hopefully!. But the stewards were on his side... of that there can be no mistake. I can see it now: "Max lost the drivers world championship despite all the help given to him."
Is this a racist thing? Hamilton is Black, Verstappen Dutch and maybe linked to Boers? I see what Lewis is referring to. I really hope not and hope that Holland/Red Bull are better than this.
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