Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport.com live blog for qualifying at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP as teams and drivers gear up for the final quali session of the first Formula 1 triple-header of the season.
Lando Norris topped the timesheets again in Free Practice 3 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, setting a blistering 1:27.489 to edge out teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.024 seconds.
McLaren are clearly in commanding form under the lights, continuing their dominance from FP2, where they also locked out the top two positions. Can anyone stop them from taking pole position?
Well, Mercedes’ George Russell slotted into third, 0.627s behind Norris, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five, both within eight-tenths of the lead pace.
Elsewhere, the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz impressed in sixth and seventh respectively showing handy pace in the Middle East.
Pierre Gasly, who shocked the paddock by going fastest in FP1, was eighth for Alpine, as Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Antonelli completed the Top 10. Lewis Hamilton, now in Ferrari red, struggled with grip and finished the session down in a lowly 12th. Will he be able to turn his form around?
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With high track temperatures, nearing 50°C, it’s baking hot and all to play for now as attention turns to qualifying later today, as Total-Motorsport.com brings you live updates from qualifying at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP, offering all the latest news and developments as 20 drivers battle it out to take pole.
F1 Saudi Arabian GP 2025 qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates
REPORT: Max Verstappen takes pole for F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP
Max Verstappen showed his qualifying prowess once again as he snatches pole position at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP for Red Bull, whilst McLaren‘s Lando Norris crashes out in a disastrous blow to the championship leader’s aspirations.
The Dutchman managed to post a 1.27.294 with his final run of the session, beating Oscar Piastri by just 0.010 to take control for Sunday’s Grand Prix, whilst George Russell qualified in third after spending a brief spell on provisional pole at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Your results from the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP
The Formula 1 championship leader will start from 10th on the grid for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP as Lando Norris crashes out of qualifying, leaving Max Verstappen to snatch a surprising pole position at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit; here are the results.
The McLaren star looked solid through Q1 and Q2 but his afternoon came to a premature close with a huge whack into the wall at the exit of Turn 5 after he caught a snap of oversteer and bottomed out on the kerb.
It was a moment that happened in seconds but could have massive ramifications for the championship picture by opening the door for Piastri, Verstappen and George Russell to potentially jump ahead of the Brit in the standings in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE FOR THE F1 2025 SAUDI ARABIAN GP
The superlatives for the Formula 1 world champion are beginning to run out as he takes pole at the very death right out of the hands of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren to beat the Australian by just 0.010 and take control of the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP with his second pole of the season.
But the story of the day is Lando Norris crashing out in Turn 5, opening the door for both Verstappen and Piastri to jump ahead of him in the standings if they don’t get too punchy on the opening lap in Sunday’s Grand Prix; a potentially disastrous weekend for the Brit and his title ambitions.
Elsewhere, George Russell and Charles Leclerc share the second row for Mercedes and Ferrari respectively, whilst Lewis Hamilton starts from eighth on the grid and behind Carlos Sainz for the second weekend in a row – the 40-year-old seven-time world champion unable to hook his lap together once again in Jeddah.
First runs on the board: Verstappen takes provisional pole
Max Verstappen seizes provisional pole from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.001 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with a 1:27.559 – Red Bull are well in this fight.
Can any challenges come from elsewhere? Piastri and Verstappen will get a chance to go again in their duel for pole.
GREEN FLAG: Session resumes with eight minutes left
The qualifying session resumes for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP after Lando Norris crashed out.
Who will take pole as the championship leader finds himself relegated to 10th on the grid? Will it be Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen or George Russell?
RED FLAG: LANDO NORRIS CRASHES
Lando Norris crashes out of qualifying for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as he loses the car at Turn 5 and that is his afternoon over.
He will be 10th on the grid and will lose a lot of championship points this weekend to the likes of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri!
“F**king idiot,” Norris describes himself.
Q3 begins: Who will take pole for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP?
We have 10 drivers remaining. 20 laps across the grid to find out who takes pole.
Will it be Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri in the McLarens? Or will Max Verstappen and George Russell pull off a shock at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit?
Stay tuned with Total-Motorsport.com to find out.
Hamilton survives Q2 exit
Lewis Hamilton stares down the barrel of another Q2 exit but manages to sneak on through to Q3 by the narrowest of margins, a very, very slender 0.007 in the Middle East.
He avoids being knocked out by Alex Albon’s Williams and can now try his hand at battling for pole position at the front.
OUT in Q2: Albon (11th), Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, Oliver Bearman.
Damage for Verstappen?
Replays show Max Verstappen running slightly wide at Turn 4 and putting a large whack through his floor plank.
He asks Gianpiero Lambiase to check for damage, and so far there’s no response over the world feed, suggesting that it’s likely all okay.
Seven minutes to go: Second runs due up; who has to improve?
It’s McLaren vs Red Bull at the top of the times, but what’s going on at the bottom of the order? Who needs to improve?
It’s Liam Lawson last, who is yet to set a time. Then comes Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, Oliver Bearman and Alex Albon, the latter being 1.1 seconds off the pace at the moment.
10 minutes to go: First runs on the board as Norris tops times
Max Verstappen continues his fine start to qualifying at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP by remaining close to Lando Norris, missing out on the top spot by just 0.048.
Oscar Piastri is third, all of them ran a new set of tyres. That means George Russell and the two Ferraris are a lot closer than they look based on the first runs, they were on used tyres.
Q2 begins: Who will book their sport for a shot at pole position?
Five cars are gone and there’s even less time to make a mistake so who will manage to get into the Top 10 shootout for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP?
Remember we lost Bortoleto (20th), Ocon, Hulkenberg, Doohan and Stroll in Q1.
Who is knocked OUT in Q1 in Jeddah?
Max Verstappen tops the times with a 1:27.778 to beat Lando Norris by 0.027 at the end of Q1.
But for Gabriel Bortoleto, it’s not the same kind of fortune as he spins at Turn 1 and brings his afternoon to an end, he will be last on the grid.
OUT in Q1: Bortoleto (20th), Ocon, Hulkenberg, Doohan and Stroll.
Lewis Hamilton survives Q1 exit in Saudi Arabia
It’s another difficult Q1 session for Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the 40-year-old just manages to survive an early bath.
The world champion slips through at the last moment to book his spot in Q2. He will need a much cleaner execution than that next time.
Five minutes to go: Who is in danger?
We’ve focused on the McLaren duel at the summit of the standings, but what’s going on at the bottom end of the grid?
Five drivers are at risk of elimination and they are Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan.
They need to find their laps sharpish. Final ones due up.
Eight minutes to go: Norris takes top spot back
It’s a McLaren battle at the front of the field as Lando Norris now snatches back top spot from Oscar Piastri.
The championship leader posts a 1:27.805 to clear his colleague by 0.214 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
10 minutes to go: Piastri goes quickest
Lando Norris is pipped by Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren as the Australian beats the Brit by 0.007 to top the timing boards.
Max Verstappen is close in third, just 0.129 off and then comes George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda in the Top 5.
12 minutes to go: Norris goes straight to the top
Lando Norris is comfortably top of the timing boards with a 1:28.026 to lead Charles Leclerc by half a second.
We still have laps filtering in, however, including Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
GREEN FLAG: Qualifying begins in Jeddah
Esteban Ocon is the first driver pushing around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in his Haas car.
Qualifying is officially underway for the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP.
Could we be in for a thriller?
McLaren took off like a rocket in FP3 but is that a false gap?
CEO Zak Brown says he thinks Mercedes could be close…
“They’re pushing each other hard, the car is good,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “I don’t think the gap that you saw in P3 will be the same gap for whoever gets pole and the front row.
“We see how close it is, so I fully expect it to be the usual qualifying shootout. But I think we’re looking good so far. I think we’re in front at the moment but not by as much as we saw in P3.
“Mercedes were very strong yesterday. They seem to have been strongest over the course of the season so far, so I don’t see why that would change. Max is Max, he’s always putting in great lap times. Charles was quick. So, I think it’s the usual cast of characters.”
Here’s what happens if you get it wrong in Jeddah
Yuki Tsunoda found out what happens if you make the slightest misjudgement at this circuit the hard way.
Will anyone else be caught out in qualifying?
When will the McLaren drivers crash?
Zak Brown believes it’s only a matter of time before Mclaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have a skirmish on the track as they compete for the Formula 1 title.
So how does the McLaren CEO plan to control the two warring racers?
“I think it’s definitely a matter of when, than if,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “You have two racing drivers, whether in the same team or different team, that are next to each other for 24 races, someone’s going to lock a brake…
“So, I’m kind of looking forward to getting it over with because I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near as exciting as everybody thinks. I think it will be a racing incident when that day comes. I think it’s inevitable.
“They’re two great characters. Neither of them are hotheads, so we’re not worried about it, and to a certain extent, kind of looking forward to just getting it out of the way.”
Will impeding play a role in qualifying?
Check out one of the Red Bulls getting in the way of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
With a busy track in Q1 and Q2, space might be few and far between, creating some crazy moments, so will we see any post-session penalties for impeding?
ICYMI: Your results from FP3
McLaren crushed the opposition in Free Practice 3 at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP as Lando Norris delivered a massive 1:27.489 to narrowly edge out Oscar Piastri ahead of qualifying, beating his teammate by 0.024.
Nobody could get close to the papaya-coloured cars, who produced an astonishing six tenths to the Mercedes behind; a worrying warning to the rest of the grid.
Welcome to the blog!
McLaren have pole position effectively in their grasp on the basis of Free Practice 3, but will anyone be able to deny them under the night lights of Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit?
Stay tuned from live updates from Total-Motorsport.com.
Where to Watch 2025 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying will be shown on ESPNU and ESPN2, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP?
Qualifying for the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP begins at 4:30pm local time on Friday in Jeddah. That means an early start for F1 fans in the UK, where quali begins at 2:30pm on Friday afternoon.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying session begins at 1:30pm ET on Friday morning, which means an early morning 11:30am PT start for those on the West Coast.
