JEDDAH — Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen delivered a scintillating lap under the lights on Saturday to grab pole position for the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2025, setting the fastest time ever recorded at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The Red Bull star clocked a 1:27.294s at an average speed of 254.615 km/h, edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.01 seconds in a dramatic qualifying showdown.

“The car came alive in the night,” said a delighted Verstappen after clinching his second pole of the season.

Mercedes’ George Russell took third, while team-mate Kimi Antonelli, the 17-year-old rookie, impressed again with a superb fifth-place start. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will line up fourth.

One of the biggest shocks came when Lando Norris crashed out at Turn 5, losing the rear over the kerb and hitting the wall hard. The red flags came out, and Norris, who had shown strong pace all weekend, will start the race from P10.

Elsewhere, history was made in Formula 2 as Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad, also 17, became the youngest ever race winner in the series. He inherited victory after Richard Verschoor was penalized five seconds for forcing Josep María Martí off track. Jak Crawford, who starts the Feature Race from pole later today, was the only retirement after spinning out.

In the F1 ACADEMY, Ella Lloyd grabbed her maiden win for McLaren, storming to the front from Turn 1 and holding off Maya Weug and Alisha Palmowski after a Safety Car restart.

Wildcard entrant Farah AlYousef finished 16th despite receiving a five-second penalty for a false start. Eyes now turn to Chloe Chambers, who starts Race 2 from pole at 3:05 p.m..

Off the track, Jennifer Lopez brought the Fan Zone to life with a high-energy performance on Saturday night. The entertainment continues Sunday night as Usher takes center stage following the Grand Prix, promising a spectacular close to an unforgettable weekend of racing and live music in Jeddah. — SG