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Formula 1
Saudi Arabian GP
F1 Saudi Arabia GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 & Qualifying
FP3 and qualifying updates from the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit
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Summary
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Leaderboard
1. Perez, Red Bull
2. Leclerc, Ferrari
3. Sainz, Ferrari
4. Verstappen, Red Bull
5. Ocon, Alpine
6. Russell, Mercedes
7. Alonso, Alpine
8. Bottas, Alfa Romeo
9. Gasly, AlphaTauri
10. Magnussen, Haas -
Summary
- Perez takes maiden pole for Saudi Arabia GP ahead of Leclerc and Sainz
- Verstappen only fourth while Hamilton knocked out in Q1, managing only 16th-fastest time for Mercedes
- Qualifying interrupted by two red flags - the first in Q1 caused by Latifi spinning his Williams at Turn 13, the second when Schumacher crashed his Haas into the wall.
- German driver has been taken to hospital, but the team reports he is "physically fine"
- Fuel problems prevent Tsunoda from setting a time
- Weekend continues as normal after Friday's missile strike on nearby oil station
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Checkered flag
And that's all from us! We'll be back tomorrow for the race, so we hope you'll join us then - enjoy the rest of your day!
Breaking news
Here's the report from qualifying for tomorrow's Saudi Arabia Grand Prix:
Timing screens showing "incident involving Car 1 (VER) noted" - we'll find out what that's about.
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Sainz: "The lap for P3 was pretty good, it was on the used tyre because for some reason the used tyre feels better for me."
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Leclerc: "The lap felt good, honestly, I'm very happy with the lap. I more or less put everything together, a few bits here or there, but I didn't expect Checo to come in with that lap!"
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Perez: "It took me a couple of races, no? I could do 1000 laps and I couldn't beat that one..."
Verstappen is fourth from Ocon, with Russell, Alonso, Bottas, Gasly and Magnussen completing the top 10. Great save from Ocon, who lost control and just managed to keep the car out of the wall.
Perez was behind with maybe three microsectors left on the timing board - but he's overturned Leclerc's time and it's pole for Perez! Leclerc and Sainz just miss out.
Checkered flag
Verstappen can't do any better than fourth! Sergio Perez is on pole position!
Stopwatch
But Sergio Perez posts a 1m28.200s! That's provisional pole for the Mexican driver!
It's a 1m28.255s for Leclerc! P1 for the Bahrain winner so far...
Leclerc's spooled up for his next push lap to try and take pole away from Sainz - what can he do? Can Red Bull mount a late charge? We'll find out very shortly...
It's Sainz, Leclerc, Perez, Ocon, Russell, Bottas, Alonso, Verstappen, Gasly and Magnussen at the moment. Last orders, chaps.
Russell gets up to fifth, nestling between the two Alpines. Bottas is on another run, and moves up to sixth place in the meantime.
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"I have zero grip on this f***ing tyre," Verstappen says, really struggling to thread his Red Bull through the first brace of corners.
It's only sixth for Verstappen after that first proper lap! He's shipped fourth tenths by the end of the second sector, and another four tenths in the final sector.
Ocon goes P3 ahead of Alonso, from Gasly and Magnussen. But Perez, after a second build lap, leapfrogs the Alpine driver to go up to third.
Stopwatch
Leclerc lays down the gauntlet with a 1m28.446s, but Sainz beats that with a 1m28.402s!
Green flag
And there's the green light - Q3 is now under way. Leclerc and Verstappen, ominously, are first to hit the road.
Two minutes until Q3 begins - the fight for pole is on between Ferrari and Red Bull.
Breaking news
Through to Q3: Sainz, Leclerc, Perez, Verstappen, Alonso, Bottas, Gasly, Magnussen, Ocon, Russell
Breaking news
Eliminated in Q2: Norris, Ricciardo, Zhou, Schumacher, Stroll
Zhou claims 13th but can't find his way past the two McLarens, who qualify 11th and 12th.
Stopwatch
Sainz fires up to first, posting a 1m28.686s! Bottas stays sixth, Magnussen goes up to seventh, as Gasly jumps out of the drop zone to push the out-of-action Schumacher out of the top 10.
Norris remains P8 after his lap, while Stroll improves but remains 14th. Alonso also cements fifth and Russell stays seventh, improving on his time.
It appears that the drivers are having to go for a second prep lap to get temperatures up, with Magnussen backing out of his first stab at a lap.
Green flag
The session resumes for the remainder of Q2, Magnussen and Leclerc first out onto the road after almost an hour's delay.
A replay showed a very clear interface between one of Schumacher's dislodged wheels and the halo on his Haas. Replays show Bottas slowing down to check if the German driver was okay.
Breaking news
The session will resume in five minutes' time, with five minutes of Q2 remaining.
Breaking news
Statement from the FIA: "Assessment at the Medical Centre revealed no injuries, and [Schumacher] has been transferred to King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, for precautionary checks."
It appears our Twitter updates are back in service - so apologies for any missed posts. Hopefully we're good to go for...whatever happens in the next few minutes.
FIA race director Niels Wittich has been inspecting Turns 9 to 12, but seems unhappy with the clean-up of oil at the moment.
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Update from Haas: "Can confirm Mick appears physically fine - he has spoken to his mom etc. Likely being taken to hospital for a scan as a precaution but awaiting FIA update on that. So expect something via them by way of next update."
The FIA is currently inspecting the circuit, following the clean-up operation. I'd say "hopefully we get going soon" but it's one of those days where you just want it to be over.
First of all, we hope Mick's okay after a horrible crash. He's currently being looked over in the medical centre.
Currently, we're on hold as there's been repairs to the wall - the dust on track to soak up any oil/fluid is currently being swept away.
It's at times like this where you have to question the thinking behind developing a circuit like this. Injuries to F2 drivers both last year and this year, and now Schumacher's crash.
The marshals are clearing up the car, which is proving to be a messy job as the car's broken in two - as the gearbox comes away.
Schumacher is said to be conscious and talking to the medical team, so that's reassuring.
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By: autosport.com
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