Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sergio Perez takes pole as Lewis Hamilton's struggles continue with Q1 failure

Sergio Perez took pole position at an incident-packed qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1. The Red Bulls had a tough time in Bahrain last week, but if they can stay reliable they will be strong in Jeddah on Sunday after Perez took pole — with his team-mate Max Verstappen in fourth. Ad/> The Ferraris were dominant in Bahrain last week and they look set for a good race as Charles Leclerc took second and Carlos Sainz third.

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix'What a lap' — Red Bull's Perez delighted with first-ever pole at Saudi Arabian GP41 MINUTES AGO Verstappen was once again a touch off the pace, complaining for the second consecutive race that his tyres were not up to the required standard. «What the f***?» he exclaimed over this team radio. «Zero grip on these tyres.» Hamilton’s Mercedes looked woefully short of pace, and he was knocked out when Lance Stroll beat his time in the closing stages of Q1.

It had appeared that the seven-time champion had done just enough to rescue his chances, only to see the Canadian-Belgian pip him at the death. Hamilton out in Q1 at Saudi GP qualifying as Mercedes struggles continue Wolff: The drivers were 'united' in decision to race despite missile attack Button unsure if Hamilton will retire at end of season “I just struggled with the balance of the car,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “We just went the wrong way with the setup.” While Perez took pole position, there was huge drama with two crashes forcing red flags.