Verstappen Étourbe McLaren after a heavy accident in Norris in Saudi qualification

Max Verstappen denied Oscar Piastri Pole Position for the Saudi Grand Prix in a qualification session interrupted by a heavy accident for the world championship leader 1 Lando Norris.

Norris lost control of his McLaren on a sidewalk in the first high -speed knee sector during his first Q3 flying round and killed in the opposite barrier, making big damage to the left side of his car.

Norris immediately informed McLaren of the team radio that he was “OK”, before castigating himself like an “F ** King I idiot” had devoted himself to 10th on the grid.

Coming a week after his disappointing performances from Bahrain and his victory for Sakhir by McLaren Coe-Cari Oscar Piastri, the crash was another blow for the title of Norris.

But Piastri – who is now three points from Norris in the championship – has not been capitalized on the error of his teammate because he was thwarted by another sensational performance Verstappen.

Piastri was the only pilot to have managed to finish a flywheel in Q3 before the Norris accident.

When the session has resumed, Red Bull has sent in a unique Verstappen with fuel for two flight rounds separated by a stand for fresh tires.

During the first attempt, Verstappen stung the reference of Piastri of only 0.001, before George Russell Usura for Mercedes.

Piastri then recovered the provisional pole with a round of 1m27.304, only for Verstappen to refuse it only 0.010 with his own final round and claims a second post in the last three races.

Russell completed the first three before Ferrari by Charles Leclerc and Mercedes by Kimi Antonelli.

Lewis Hamilton was only three places behind the Ferrari Leclerc teammate in seventh but six tenths of a second separated them. Hamilton had been less than 0.007 s after not having done in the third quarter and had only jumped from 15 to ninth to the very end of the first quarter.

Carlos Sainz continued her improved form to put her sixth Williams on the grid, while his teammate Alex Albon has missed Q3.

Red Bull de Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda was eighth, while Alpine lost Jack Doohan in the first quarter, but reached the third quarter with Pierre Gasly in ninth.

Ni Aston Martin was in the third quarter, Fernando Alonso 13e on the grid and Lance walks in the first quarter.

Liam Lawson survived Isack Hadjar for the first time since they became teammates of Racing Bulls – they took Alonso and 14th Sandwich.

There was a difference of six tenth between Haas cars in the first quarter while Ollie Bearman became 11th faster and Esteban Ocon found himself in the rear row in front of only the Sauber de Gabriel Bortoleto. But Bearman could not do better than the 15th in the second quarter.

Provisional grid of Saudi GP

1 Verstappen maximum
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 walking
17 Jack Doohan
18 Nico Hulkenberg
19 ESTEBAN OCON
20 Gabriel Bortoleto