Max Verstappen gives first place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix shortly before the end, and Lewis Hamilton takes advantage.
Qualifying for the Saudi Grand Prix was hard to beat in terms of drama. Max Verstappen made one last attempt in Q3 to get in front of two Mercedes cars. And for a long time it seemed very good to the Dutchman. The world championship leader was faster than Lewis Hamilton at the top. But in the last corner Verstappen lost control of his car and crashed into the side of the track.
In the end, Verstappen only stayed third on the grid. “That’s bad, the back slipped away,” the 24-year-old said, “a disappointing third place when you see what kind of lap I was on.” Hamilton, who is only eight points behind his World Cup rival, was able to celebrate his 103rd lead in Formula 1. Valtteri Bottas completes the front row. In the meantime, at the Red Bull camp, you have to hope that Verstappen’s car doesn’t suffer any major damage. If a gear change is necessary, the Dutchman will be returned to the 5th rank.
Hamilton after training error without penalty
The race hosts had another good news story waiting for the Brits. Hamilton was called up before qualifying to respond to misconduct on the third free practice session. Presumably, the 36-year-old didn’t slow down enough when he waved the yellow flag twice. Race management refrained from moving Hamilton into the race after the recall – the World Cup runner-up evaded a €25,000 fine.
Giovinazzi is in the top ten
Antonio Giovinazzi had the upper hand in the Alfa Romeo stable duel. The Italian arrived in Q3 and will tackle the race from 10th. One row behind the Italian, his teammate Kimi Räikkönen will line up for 12th.
SRF Zwei, sportlive, Dec 4, 2021 5:50 p.m. gam / agencies
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