Max Verstappen has cruised to pole for Saturday's Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, earning that position for this race for the first time in his career.
There proved to be no challengers to the world champion on Friday as he finished 0.319 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The story of qualifying came further down the field as 18-year-old British driver Oliver Bearman secured 11th place on the grid in the Ferrari.
Bearman is acting as a replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr, who is being forced to miss this race due to appendicitis.
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2024
Verstappen turned on the afterburners in Q3 💪#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/MJlFHG5U7E
Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso make up the second row of the grid, ahead of the two McLaren's of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will be disappointed with only qualifying in seventh and eighth position respectively.
Yuki Tsunoda in the RB and Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin made up the top 10, just ahead of Bearman.
Aside from the absence of Sainz Jr, the same drivers who are on the first five rows this weekend are the same who collected the first points of the season in Bahrain.
