Lewis Hamilton secures dramatic pole at Saudi Grand Prix as Max Verstappen crashes into barrier
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Published 04/12/2021 at 18:35 GMT
One of Formula One's most dramatic and tense seasons became only more dramatic on Saturday evening when Max Verstappen crashed into a barrier in his final flying lap in qualifying. The Dutchman took third on the grid for Sunday, with current champion Lewis Hamilton taking first place for the start of the race.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - GP of Saudi Arabia 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas placed first and second respectively at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix qualifying, with Max Verstappen taking third and crashing out.
It was another dramatic qualifying session as the season intensifies. Hamilton is the current champion but trails Red Bull’s Verstappen and is in danger of losing his grip on the drivers’ championship at the end of the season.
Hamilton goes into Sunday’s race on 343.5 points, with Verstappen on 351.5.
Moving into the top 10 shootout, Verstappen took an early lead with Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Bottas second.
That all changed in a frenetic final lap under the lights.
With a final, flying lap for the pair, Hamilton secured pole with the fastest run of the day, giving him a lockout with Bottas alongside him for tomorrow.
Verstappen pulled out all the stops to challenge his British rival - unfortunately for him he was unable to stay on the edge and veered too hard into the red, and hit a barrier on his last lap, unable to put down one final challenge to Hamilton.
Speaking after the runout, Verstappen said: "I don't really understand what happened [on the final flying lap]. I locked up a bit. P3 is disappointing but today did show that the car is quick around here... so we'll see what happens tomorrow"
Hamilton added: "What a tough track this is. It's amazing what they've built, the speed and the pace around here is phenomenal. It's a great result for the team and a great job by Valtteri [P2] - he's the best team mate there's ever been in this sport"
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