Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Practice Results

As he did so coming into the final turn, Verstappen abruptly slowed, causing Hamilton to collide into him and damaging his front wing. Despite the damage, Hamilton continued setting fastest laps and closed back into Verstappen again, who ceded the lead to him on the last turn again but reclaiming the lead as Hamilton ran wide. Verstappen was then issued a 5-second time penalty for the corner cutting, before Hamilton finally took back the lead for good on the last corner on Lap 43 as the Dutchman's medium rubber started to lose performance.

Bottas meanwhile had cleared Ricciardo for 4th during the chaos, as Vettel retired with a damaged car with five laps remaining. Despite his crash, Verstappen qualified in third place, behind Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Both McLaren drivers outscored Ferrari by one point after the race, meaning Ferrari were all but guaranteed to secure third in the constructors' championship, heading into Abu Dhabi. Despite losing out the podium position, Ocon closed into within 5 points of his team-mate. At the start of the session, In Q1, in case of red flags on the narrow, high-speed track, a host of drivers went out on track early in the session, including Red Bull Racing's Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Pérez.

Two and a half hours long, multiple red flags, tons of drama, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton making hard contact, and huge implications. The penultimate race on the F1 calendar ended with Hamilton getting the win amid controversy, and now there's a virtual tie for the championship going into the final race. Hamilton seemed destined to cut into Verstappen's series lead as he got off to a fantastic start, but Red Bull got a huge break with a red flag while Verstappen held the lead. But then Verstappen got his own bad break on the re-start with a dicey move and had to give up track position.

Finally, we also had a case where Hamilton hit Verstappen in an apparent miscommunication that became controversial as Hamilton said Verstappen braked and caused the hit. For the drivers as well as observers, the race became difficult to assess as it became dominated by red flags, safety cars and lingering debris, but Verstappen led with 15 laps left. But, no, he clipped those cramped barriers on the exit of Turn 27 of 27 and started third. Hamilton was on pole with Bottas second and Verstappen third. So started the race, for the first of three occasions. The drama under lights involved two red flags, four virtual safety cars, pit-wall rows, debris and controversy.

Completing the points would be Ricciardo, Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Giovinazzi and Norris, who was among those pitted during the safety car and dropped to the back during the red flag periods. The first incident began on the tenth lap, when Schumacher lost his rear and crashed his Haas heavily into the barriers at Turns 22 and 23 (in the same manner as Leclerc's FP2 crash), deploying the safety car. Those who did not pit before the red flag, such as Ocon and Ricciardo, gained a massive advantage in positions; 4th and 5th, respectively. 'When a virtual safety car is called, when a red flag, credit to race control, it is very difficult to manage. We are biased from our side and there was frustration we spent a few laps behind a safety car. I have to reserve judgement before seeing the race again tomorrow.

In the last weeks leading to the race weekend, photos circulated online showed that the circuit construction progress appeared to have been behind schedule. Race officials however assured that the track would be finished in time for the weekend, with the track finally receiving approval from the FIA one day before the first practice session on Friday. Amilton, who topped both practice sessions on Friday, declared himself a fan of the circuit. "Once you get the rhythm it is really beautiful to drive," said the seven-time world champion, who heads into the race trailing Verstappen by just eight points. But he - and his pitwall - will be on red alert all weekend.

On 28 November, one week before the race, Williams co-founder and former owner Sir Frank Williams died at the age of 79. Teams sported tributes on their cars, and a minute's silence took place approximately one hour before the start of the race. On Sunday, former Williams driver Damon Hill did a lap of honour in the FW07, Williams's first championship winning car. Alpine ran a special livery for the weekend to commemorate their 100th race with one of their sponsors Castrol. On the eve of the race weekend, Williams CEO Jost Capito announced that he was tested COVID-positive, therefore missing the weekend with the team.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be the season's second night race, played out over 6km on the second longest track on the calendar after Spa. It will be incredibly fast too, taking a physical toll on the drivers with average speeds of 250km/hr and a top speed of 322km/hr on the back straight, where cars zip along a lagoon past a gleaming new hotel. "It's like Suzuka with walls," explained Horner this week. Saudi Arabia will make its debut on the Formula 1 calendar this year. Early this year it was announced that the race would take place in the streets of Jeddah. It was doubtful if the track would be ready in time for the Formula 1race, but more than two weeks before the race weekend the final touches were made and the track was ready for use.

This track has 27 corners and it is expected that the F1 cars will reach an average speed of 250km/h here. This is a new track for each team, so it will be interesting to see who will be on top. Verstappen set the fastest overall time with the Mercedes duo behind, with Hamilton messing up on his initial flying lap. Hamilton later beat Verstappen's time with Bottas second fastest behind. Max Verstappen has an eight-point lead over Lewis Hamilton heading into these last two races of the 2021 Formula 1 season, so the importance on a good position in qualifying today is that much greater. The Red Bull star impressed in FP3, but the Mercedes driver will no doubt have a trick or two up his sleeve as he looks to retain his championship title.

Ello and welcome along to our live blog for Saturday's Saudi Arabia Grand Prix qualifying session, as we work out the starting grid for the penultimate race of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the favourites for pole position and, with overtaking so difficult at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, starting at the front will be crucial. After a short delay, the Formula 2 cars have had an outing on it and I would be surprised if we escape either of the first two hour-long practice sessions without a red flag.

I do also have some worries about the size of crashes we could see, too. The track and facilities were only finished very recently, but let's hope everything goes smoothly. It is a strong result for the team, the best collective qualifying result of the year at a crunch moment in the season, and it puts on display the form we have shown so far this weekend. With tomorrow's inaugural race on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit a big question mark, Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN have done their job to be in the best possible position to aim for points with both cars. Consequently, all three practice sessions could see teams experimenting with a variety of simulations and setups, with some favoring qualifying pace while others focus on their race trim. Race finish - Hamilton wins and scores fastest lap.

He now heads into the Abu Dhabi finale next weekend level on points with Verstappen. Verstappen is also voted driver of the day by fans. The two F1 teams have been enthralled in battles due to how close a title race it has been between their respective drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Currently Verstappen leads Hamilton by eight points with just two races to go.

Verstappen, 24, looked destined to snatch pole position from championship rival Lewis Hamilton on his final flying lap in Jeddah, but a critical error in the third sector saw the star crash. A brief virtual safety car after a piece of debris appears on the track. Yet another incident on this Jeddah track, which has ended four drivers' races prematurely. Hamilton and Bottas led out of the start; with the top five drivers maintaining their positions, heading into the second lap. A few incidents unfolded behind, with Tsunoda dropping places after making contact with Ocon, and Stroll forced off-track at Turn 5 while running alongside Russell. As the Top 5 began pulling away from the field, Hamilton was constantly setting fastest laps; meanwhile Sainz, who had started in 15th, was making progress pushing through the midfield.

While practice sessions are always key to arriving at an ideal setup, it will take on an added importance this weekend due to the lack of any previous data. Being a street circuit, the stakes are raised even further as there are walls on either side of the narrow straights and esses. Having set the pace on Friday, Mercedes sent both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas out on hard tyres in the early phase of the session, while Red Bull opted to run on the soft tyres instead.

More debris on the track leads to another virtual safety car. Fernando Alonso claims there is too much car bits lying around corners six and ten. The Grand Prix has received criticism from Amnesty International on the grounds of human rights in Saudi Arabia.

In August 2019, plans for a permanent motorsports complex to be built in the city of Qiddiya were made public. During the event, it was confirmed that the track was designed to FIA and FIM Grade 1 standards. At the time, Formula One declined to comment on the possibility of a race.

Hard to say at this point - as it ever is - whether any car has an advantage. It's a new track and drivers were feeling their way around this new track and its dangers. Verstappen did not improve greatly on the soft tyres from the hards, so maybe some set-up work to do for Red Bull. E's 0.243s off Norris but on the medium tyres. Norris is the only driver to set his lap time on the soft tyres. Bottas locks up at turn one, saying his tyres were not ready.

F course, these things can often be hyped up only for the race itself to prove uneventful. But Friday's first glimpse of the cars in action suggested we are unlikely to get through the weekend without a few red flags at least. The first-ever Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is just a few days away, with the drivers set to race around what will be the longest – and fastest – street circuit in Formula 1 history.

The red flags first came out on lap 14 after a safety car period triggered by Mick Schumacher crashing his Haas into the barriers. Hamilton was behind Verstappen for much of the 50-lap race which was stopped twice because of crashes and interrupted numerous times by the safety car and virtual safety car. Nikita Mazepin, like Gasly, was also shocked by the slow-moving Mercedes of Hamilton with the session ticking down but fortunately he also avoided a high-speed crash. "Not great at all," said FIA Race Director Michael Masi as he gave his take on the situation. The Russian finished 0.05s ahead of team mate Mick Schumacher, as the Haas drivers rounded out the standings, in P19 and P20 respectively.

Hamilton set the early pace on hard tyres but couldn't improve on his fastest effort of 1m28.314s when it came to using softs. Meanwhile, Verstappen enjoyed his soft-tyred running and eclipsed his rival midway through the session, improving to set the ultimate benchmark of 1m28.100s and leave Hamilton two-tenths behind in P2. Max Verstappen topped the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton finished second and Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez took third. Lap 10 - Mick Schumacher crashes heavily in his Haas at Turn 23, safety car deployed. Hamilton and Bottas are among the drivers to pit under the safety car.

Verstappen stays out, and inherits the race lead. The yellow flags, however, turned red two laps later, meaning the cars returned to the pit lane, allowing Verstappen to change his tyres without losing any time. On soft-compound tires, Verstappen took the fastest lap of the qualifying session. His Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, will be starting fourth. Hamilton, meanwhile, eased through to Q2 in P9.

Max Verstappen was flying into pole position but a crash in the dying moments of his final qualifying lap means it will be advantage Lewis Hamilton going into Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver has won the last two races to close within eight points of championship leader Max Verstappen heading into the final two grands prix of the year. This weekend it is time for the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. It will be held at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

We start the weekend with the first free practice. This practice gives the drivers the opportunity to explore the new track. You can follow this first free practice with the liveblog from GPblog. The dramatic finish saw Hamilton tying with Verstappen in the drivers' standings heading into the final round; the first time since the 1974 Formula One season, wherein Emerson Fittipaldi won ahead of Clay Regazzoni.

However, Verstappen holds an advantage since the tiebreaker considers the number of race wins this season, which Verstappen has 9 compared to Hamilton with 8. Amid a season where they've gone toe-to-toe all year, of course, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are tied for the championship lead going into the final race. Had to happen, Hamilton cut the eight-point deficit between himself and Verstappen by not just winning Sunday's race but also earning the bonus point for posting the single lap. With a final, flying lap for the pair, Hamilton secured pole with the fastest run of the day, giving him a lockout with Bottas alongside him for tomorrow.

Before qualifying later this Saturday, we first of all have the third and final practice session. Lewis Hamilton has been leading the way so far and will look to make a statement in the third session as well. Max Verstappen looked destined for pole position, but he hit the wall on the very last corner and that meant Lewis Hamilton could steal pole, with the Red Bull driver set to start behind Valtteri Bottas in third. This could prove to be a huge moment in the destination of the F1 title. "And this is maybe the only big point to raise with the FIA, just to stay sharp with yellow flags and safety cars, red flags, because it's gonna be an interesting one."

First American driver Logan Sargeant crashed at high speed in F2 practice. Then Charles Leclerc totalled his Ferrari after losing control around the outside of the high-speed corner, bringing out a red flag. In terms of track dynamic, there will be long straights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this weekend, which ought to favour Mercedes as they gun for a one-two finish. McLaren.com brings you closer to the McLaren Formula 1, INDYCAR and esports stories.

From inside the MTC to the chequered flag, join Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris,Oliver Turvey, Will Stevens and the rest of the team along the journey. L14 - Red flag is thrown out to halt the race so repairs can be carried out to the Turn 23 barriers. This plays into Verstappen's hands as the rules allow a driver to change tyres under a red flag. In the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it will be Max Verstappen starting from pole position, his 10th pole of the season — and the most important of the year. With the track untested and both qualifying and Sunday's race taking place in the evening, this session was more of a feeling-out hour for the drivers.

With two races left the tension is rising when it comes to the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The difference in points is very little and both drivers are expected to go into the final race weekend with a tie or with a minimal difference. The atmosphere between Mercedes and Red Bull isn't getting any better either, every weekend there are protests or complaints against each other and also this weekend they won't give each other anything anymore.

The turns are quick and don't the drivers know it. Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari at 170mph in practice while Verstappen hit the wall on his final qualifying lap which may do crucial damage to his gear box. We're back underway with a formation lap, before an expected standing restart.

Everyone is on hard compound tyres for the final 37 laps of this race. The virtual safety car is now over with 17 laps to go. It was another dramatic qualifying session as the season intensifies. Hamilton is the current champion but trails Red Bull's Verstappen and is in danger of losing his grip on the drivers' championship at the end of the season. Mick Schumacher has crashed, and crashed hard, on turn six.