McLaren was the clear favourites for pole position in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen having been predicted as a second row contender. 

The reigning world champion did not expect to topple the Woking-based team for a second time in three grands prix, having been comfortably adrift throughout free practice.

He pipped Oscar Piastri to pole position by just 0.010s, setting a new lap record of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. 

Red Bull made crucial setup changes ahead of qualifying which made a big difference to the RB21, as did a clever Q3 strategy after Lando Norris crashed out. 

The Austrian outfit opted to run Verstappen twice despite just eight minutes on the clock, with a normal pit stop having been conducted between the Dutchman’s two hot laps. 

It was a qualifying session of fine margins, with a different driver and car having been fastest in each sector. Verstappen was quickest in sector one, George Russell in sector two and Piastri in the final sector.

Verstappen had a one-tenth advantage over Piastri and Russell through the first sector, courtesy of Red Bull’s RB21 boasting remarkable top speed over its rivals.

Red Bull has again opted for less downforce, meaning McLaren and Mercedes do have an advantage through the high-speed corners.

View the data of the laps of Verstappen, Piastri and Russell below. The text continues after that.

As mentioned, Verstappen was the quickest on the straights. Red Bull’s top speed without DRS clocked at 322 km/h, whilst McLaren’s was only 307 km/h.

This speed difference significant reduces when both cars run an open rear wing, as Verstappen reached 338 km/h when using DRS, whilst Piastri hit 330 km/h.

As a result, Verstappen recognised immedietly after qualifying that keeping Piastri behind in the race will be extremely difficult.

McLaren has the strongest long run pace, although much remains unknown of Red Bull’s potential following its last-minute changes.