Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying LIVE: F1 result as Hamilton claims pole after Verstappen hits wall – The Independent

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has admitted he thought Lewis Hamilton was about to lose pole position before Max Verstappen crashed into the wall in a dramatic qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was approximately four-tenths up on title rival Hamilton entering the final corner as he pushed his car to the limit but the Red Bull driver locked up going into the final corner and hit the wall as he tried to keep it on the track.

Reacting to Verstappen’s crash, Wolff told Sky Sports: “He was up by half a second and pole was basically gone. Then he ran wide and hit the wall and we end up one and two, which is a big, big, advantage ahead of tomorrow. It’s just crazy.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has called for “consistency” as Lewis Hamilton escaped a grid penalty after being summoned to the stewards for two separate incidents at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Hamilton will start on pole position for Sunday’s race after Max Verstappen hit the wall on the final lap of a dramatic qualifying session.

And there was further drama earlier in the day as Hamilton was called to the stewards one hour before the start of qualifying in Jeddah after allegedly failing to respect double-waved yellow flags and impeding Nikita Mazepin.

“We’ll have a good look at it,” Horner told Sky Sports when asked whether Red Bull would appeal the FIA’s ruling on the two incidents in practice.

“It feels a little inconsistent from what we’ve seen two weeks ago. We’ve got the right to an appeal and we will have a look at the information. We haven’t looked at it that closely yet.”

Max Verstappen has explained the “terrible” moment that cost him pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he crashed into the wall on the final lap of qualifying in another dramatic moment in the F1 title race.

With Lewis Hamilton on provisional pole for the penultimate race of the season, Verstappen was clocking faster than his title rival heading into the final corner at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Verstappen was pushing hard on what was a magnificent lap from the Red Bull driver but he locked up heading into the final turn and collided with the wall.

It meant the Dutchman was unable to improve upon his qualifying time and he will therefore start behind title rival Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas after Mercedes locked out the front row.

Verstappen holds an eight-point lead over Hamilton heading into tomorrow’s race but the 24-year-old could be dealt a further blow if Red Bull are forced into replacing his gearbox as a result of the Q3 crash.

“It’s of course terrible,” Verstappen said. “I knew the pace was there and it showed in the last lap.”

Lewis Hamilton ended an eventful Saturday at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a pole position and a slap on the wrist as title rival Max Verstappen sensationally crashed out on the final corner of qualifying.

Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship by just eight points with two races remaining and Hamilton has the upper hand here at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Having won the previous two rounds of a scintillating season, Hamilton came here with plenty of momentum, but he had to survive two penalty scares in final practice before sealing an important pole on a track where overtaking could be at a premium.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, speaking to Sky Sports:

“[Verstappen] was up by half a second and pole was basically gone. Then he ran wide and hit the wall and we end up one and two, which is a big, big, advantage ahead of tomorrow. It’s just crazy.

“That’s exactly what we thought [that Red Bull were going to take pole]. It was important to keep it together and keep attacking. You see with Valtteri with his lap, that is a big difference to be there with the front-row lockout.

“I hope we can take it into tomorrow. I think they [Red Bull] concentrated on preparing for a one-lap. If we have a tiny bit of advantage tomorrow, who knows.

“This is a fight on all levels on the track and off the track.”

Lewis Hamilton was full of praise for departing teammate Valtteri Bottas after Mercedes secured a one-two in qualifying.

““This is a great result. This (a one-two) was the goal, we worked so hard through simulation.

“He (Valtteri) is the best team-mate there’s ever been in this sport. We have worked together to work on the set-up and get the car to where it needs to be.”

“That Bull around this track is something else, but given where we are I am grateful for what we have.”

Max Verstappen has explained the “terrible” moment that cost him pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he crashed into the wall on the final lap of qualifying in another dramatic moment in the F1 title race.

With Lewis Hamilton on provisional pole for the penultimate race of the season, Verstappen was clocking faster than his title rival heading into the final corner at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Verstappen was pushing hard on what was a magnificent lap from the Red Bull driver but he locked up heading into the final turn and collided with the wall.

Horner: “It’s going to be very hard to overtake here so it’s going to be strategy, safety cars, reliability. We’ll see. Grid position in any street circuit is crucial.

“We’ll have a good look at it. It feels a little inconsistent from what we’ve seen two weeks ago. We’ve got the right to an appeal and we will have a look at the information and we haven’t looked at it that closely yet.

“These decisions are so late so we’ll have a look. The one thing that we desperately want is consistency. The problem is if we appeal it’s the same stewards.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, speaking to Sky Sports: “Max was on course for the lap of the season. It’s a great shame. He just grabbed the front going into the final corner. We could see on his dash that he was four-tenths up going into the corner and unfortunately he’s run out of road. It’s pretty brutal but let’s hope the gear box isn’t damaged.

“Max will be frustrated. He knows what a good lap it was. He just needs to put it behind him now. He’s still P3 on the grid. He needs a good start and anything can happen in this race. It’s a great shame because it was a mighty, mighty lap. We’ll get the car back and hopefully it’s not a gearbox penalty because that would be especially brutal.”

Max Verstappen: “It’s of course terrible. I knew the pace was there and it showed in the last lap. I don’t know what happened but I locked up and I clipped the rear – so I had to stop. P3 is a bit disappointing knowing the lap I was on but it shows that the car is quick. Let’s see where we can do in the race.”