Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Sergio Perez takes stunning first career pole

Sergio Perez roared to a first career Formula One pole position on Saturday with a blinding lap under the floodlights in a crash-interrupted qualifying session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver left his best for last as he lapped the 6.1-km long Jeddah Corniche circuit on the banks of the Red Sea in one minute 28.200 seconds. The lap, 0.025 seconds quicker than second-placed Charles Leclerc, was just enough to stop the Monegasque and team mate Carlos Sainz, who scored a Ferrari one-two in last week's Bahrain season-opener, from sweeping to a front-row lockout for the resurgent Italian team.

"What a lap, unbelievable!" said Perez, who had to wait 215 races for his first pole. "I can do a thousand laps and I don't think I can beat that lap." Perez's success came on the 11th anniversary of his first-ever Formula One qualifying session at Australia's Albert Park circuit on March 26 2011. The 32-year-old will be hoping to convert that into a third career win on Sunday after he and world champion team mate Max Verstappen both failed to make it to the finish in the Bahrain season-opener. Perez's lap stunned championship leader Leclerc, who was fastest in all practice sessions and on provisional pole until his Red Bull rival's blinder.

"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," Leclerc said. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton made a shock early exit after failing to get past qualifying's opening knockout phase. The Briton, the winner in Saudi Arabia last year, will line up 16th in his Mercedes, 10 places behind new team mate George Russell. Verstappen, dominant in qualifying in Jeddah last year until crashing at the final