Easter Sunday will see Lando Norris bid to atone for his qualifying mistake with Max Verstappen on pole ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton also a lot lower than he would like to be
Qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is in the books and there are a couple of very unhappy British superstars in the desert. Most notably, Lando Norris did exactly what he did not want to do as he aimed to bounce back from a difficult weekend in Bahrain.
But his chances of pole in Jeddah evaporated when he lost control of his McLaren and smashed into a wall. He had already secured his place in the top half of the grid by that point but 10th on the grid on a circuit where overtaking is difficult is not going to aid his title quest.
Norris is three points ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri heading into Easter Sunday’s Saudi race. But the Australian is a long way up the road, second on the grid and in a prime position to knock Norris off his perch by the end of Easter night.
Max Verstappen is the pole-sitter after breaking the Jeddah Corniche Circuit lap record to deny Piastri at the last. It remains to be seen whether his Red Bull will have the race pace it will need to keep the McLaren behind, though.
With Lewis Hamilton also a lot lower down the grid than he would have hoped, there was plenty of reaction in the Jeddah paddock after the end of Saturday’s running. Mirror Sport has all the headlines:
READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s reaction speaks volumes as Lando Norris gifts him Saudi GP pole positionREAD MORE: Sky Sports issue apology as major issue affects live Saudi Grand Prix coverage
Norris apologetic after latest mistake
Norris was unhurt physically after his high-speed crash, but the same could not be said for his ego which would have already been pretty fragile. He called himself a “muppet” after his struggles in Bahrain last weekend and this time his reaction was to label himself a “f***ing idiot”.
“I’ll go and see my engineers and apologise,” said the rueful Brit. Regarding his chances of making much progress in the race, he added: “I’m going to need a bit of luck – it’s almost impossible to overtake around here so I’m not expecting anything magical. But we have a good car and if we can work our way up to the top five or six, I’d say I’ll be happy.”
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Hamilton left ‘praying’ as Ferrari woes continue
Qualifying continues to be a difficult proposition for Hamilton, which is pretty remarkable considering he holds the all-time F1 record for the most pole positions. Adding to his career total looks to be a distant proposition for the Brit right now, though.
He still hasn’t got to grips with his Ferrari car and admitted he was “grateful” just to make it into the top 10 on Saturday. He said: “I’ve been nowhere all weekend so, honestly, I’m grateful to get to Q3. Trying to bond with this car on a single lap is something that I’m finding very difficult at the moment.”
Wolff not speaking with Verstappen
Rumours continues to suggest Verstappen could look for a new team in the coming months with signs there that the Dutchman is unsettled at Red Bull. Aston Martin are the ones who have shown the most overt interest but Mercedes continue to be linked with the four-time champion.
Not that team principal Toto Wolff, in public at least, has shown any desire to tempt Verstappen to join the Silver Arrows. He said: “I’m super happy with the line-up we have, I couldn’t wish for anything better. Max is at Red Bull, we haven’t had a conversation, we are continuing our trajectory.”
Red Bull starlet sets new record
Red Bull had more reason to celebrate on Saturday than just Verstappen’s surprise pole. Their next starlet on the production line, Arvid Lindblad, turned heads in the Jeddah paddock by winning the Formula 2 sprint race and becoming the youngest driver to take victory in that category since the current format was introduced in 2017.
The 17-year-old, who races under the British flag, is highly rated by Red Bull chiefs including adviser Helmut Marko. Should a space become available at one of their F1 outfits for 2026, then Lindblad looks well placed to be the young man they turn to.
