Lando Norris retired from qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen took an impressive pole position.
The championship leader called himself a “f***ing idiot” on the radio after he hit the kerbs at turns four and five and then hit the wall in his first run of Segment Three.
His session ended with Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and George Russell battling for pole position, and the Dutchman put to rest early speculation about his future with another brilliant qualifying performance.
Norris admitted he was not “comfortable” behind the wheel of his McLaren and said after qualifying last week in Bahrain, where he finished sixth, that he had “no idea” how to get the most out of his car.
The Briton leads Piastri by three points in the overall championship after the Australian's victory in Bahrain last weekend, and the title battle between the two is heating up.
Their McLaren again put in a strong performance during practice in Jeddah and Norris looked set to challenge for pole position.
However, his confidence was likely further shaken by another missed opportunity.
His mistake came on his first run when he lost control on the kerb and hit the wall on the left, bringing out an early red flag.
Verstappen's future has been a major topic of pre-race talk, with a difficult weekend in Bahrain sparking speculation he could consider leaving Red Bull.
The Dutchman did not look a serious challenger to McLaren during practice but, as he did in Japan two weeks ago, he excelled in qualifying.
Piastri moved to the top of the table on his final run, but Verstappen was faultless on the final lap to beat him by just 0.010 seconds.
“It's just brilliant,” Verstappen said on team radio. “The car really worked overnight.”
Another outstanding performance will see Russell take third place for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton continued his disappointing qualifying performance, finishing only seventh.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
