2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - FP3 & Qualifying

The second day of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix came and went, and it is safe to say that this Saturday was quite entertaining. We had a few shocks, as well as some great performances. Join Supercars.GH as we go through what happened during the FP3 and Qualifying sessions of the Saudi GP.

Free Practice 3

In a similar story to yesterday, Max Verstappen once again topped the timing sheets with the fastest time of the third practice session. The two Red Bulls were followed by the Aston Martin pair, and a spirited Lewis Hamilton came in at 5th.

The McLaren pair looked very quick during FP3, with both drivers managing to squeeze inside the top 10. One driver who did not get to go out on track was Nyck DeVries, as his team was busy replacing the power unit of his white-and-navy AlphaTauri.

Max Verstappen 1:28.485
Sergio Perez 1:29.098
Fernando Alonso 1:29.483

Qualifying

Going into the qualifying session, many people thought that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had pole position in the bad. And for a while, that seemed like the case indeed. Yet, halfway through Q2, the two-time World Champion suffered what was later identified as a gearbox failure. As a result, he will have to start tomorrow’s race in P15.

But, winning from the back of the grid is nothing strange to the Dutch driver. Last year, he achieved the heroic feat of achieving victory from the 14th position on the grid.

Verstappen’s heartbreak was opposed by the delight of his teammate, Sergio Perez. He will start tomorrow’s race from the pole position, repeating the feat he achieved last year. Following him is a heroic Fernando Alonso, who will surely have his eyes firmly set on a potential race victory.

Verstappen wasn’t the only one who faced disappointment this evening. Lando Norris was out in Q1 after colliding with the wall, while his rookie teammate managed to get into Q3. Both the Williams and AlphaTauri were out in Q1 as well, with Logan Sargent briefly bringing out the yellow flags after a spin. Elsewhere, although Charles Leclerc came home in P2, he will start from 12th due to his engine penalty.

Sergio Perez 1:28.265
Charles Leclerc 1:28.420
Fernando Alonso 1:28.730

With the front-running contender for the race victory starting from the back of the grid, and a hungry 41-year-old veteran up front, it remains to be seen how tomorrow’s race will pan out. Join us tomorrow night to find out everything that happened at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.