Saudi Arabia GP: Saudi GP Race Starts 10:30 PM, Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Max Verstappen Starts from 15th Maxboom.xyz

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez is yet again on the pole at the same track where he did it last year. However, for…

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez is yet again on the pole at the same track where he did it last year. However, for Red Bull, the biggest worry would be the gearbox issue that forced Max Verstappen to get knocked out from Q2. Fernando Alonso continues his fine performance since Bahrain GP starts second on the grid. George Russell yet again outperformed Lewis Hamilton to start 3rd. Charles Leclerc with his 10-place Grid penalty will start from the 12th, closely followed by Verstappen from the 15th spot. Follow Formula 1 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Max Verstappen Starts from 15th while Fernando Alonso AIM yet another Podium – Follow F1 LIVE Updates

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Sergio Perez claimed pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix during an action-packed qualifying session at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after team mate and championship leader Max Verstappen dropped out in Q2 due to technical problems.

Verstappen was the firm favourite for pole position after leading the way in FP1, FP2, FP3 and the opening Q1 phase of qualifying, but a driveshaft issue that struck in Q2 means he will start Sunday’s race from 15th on the grid.

Perez picked up the pieces in Verstappen’s absence, posting a 1m 28.265 in the decisive Q3 phase to claim a second successive pole in the Kingdom, 0.155s ahead of Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc, who will lose 10 places due to an engine penalty.

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin therefore jump up to the front row as their strong start to the season continues, followed by the lead Mercedes of George Russell, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and team mate Lance Stroll.

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Max Verstappen Starts from 15th while Fernando Alonso AIM yet another Podium – Follow F1 LIVE Updates

STARTING GRID

Perez and Alonso sharing the front row, Leclerc and Verstappen battling through the field… a mouthwatering race in store ????#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/KfQAwjeR9r

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023

A much stronger qualifying performance from Alpine saw them place seventh and 10th with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly respectively, with Lewis Hamilton taking eighth in his Mercedes, and rookie Oscar Piastri impressing en route to P9 in his McLaren.

Haas and Alfa Romeo were unable to make it over the second qualifying hurdle, with Nico Hulkenberg ending up 11th from Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas, as Verstappen completed the list of drivers to drop out in Q2 amid his costly issues.

AlphaTauri lost both of their cars in Q1, with Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries taking P16 and P18 respectively – the latter ruing a mistake at the final corner of his final lap after missing FP3 due to a power unit change.

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Max Verstappen Starts from 15th while Fernando Alonso AIM yet another Podium – Follow F1 LIVE Updates

Also Read: Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Fernando Alonso on 2nd place, Max Verstappen OUT of Q2 with Engine Trouble – Check Highlights

Alex Albon was the lead Williams in 17th, splitting up the two AlphaTauris, while Lando Norris was the biggest name to drop out in Q1 after hitting the Turn 27 wall and picking up steering damage that could not be fixed.

It was a messy second F1 qualifying session for Logan Sargeant, who lost his first lap for exceeding track limits, spun out during his second effort and finally encountered a technical problem on his final attempt – leaving him at the back of the grid without a time.

Saudi Arabia GP Live: Timings of Saudi Arabia GP

Practice 1, Date – 17th March

1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Sergio Perez
3rd – Fernando Alonso

Practice 2, Date – 17th March

1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Fernando Alonso
3rd – Sergio Perez

Practice 3, Date – 18th March

1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Sergio Perez
3rd – Fernando Alonso

Qualifying, Date – 186th March

Timings – 22:30 to 23:30 IST

Race, Date – 19th March

Timings – 22:30 to 00:30 IST

Saudi Arabia GP: Sergio Perez to START from Pole, Max Verstappen Starts from 15th while Fernando Alonso AIM yet another Podium – Follow F1 LIVE Updates

Where can you watch Practice, Qualifying, and Race on TV?

There will be no TV broadcast of F1 2023 season in India.

Where can you watch Practice, Qualifying, and Race? – Live Stream

The Practice, Qualifying, and Race can be live-streamed on F1TV Pro in India.

Location – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

First Grand Prix – 2021

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