Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which comes as no surprise, given the unbeatable combination of Verstappen’s skill and the engineering marvel that is the Red Bull RB20, which appears to continue the dominance seen in 2023. If Verstappen sets the benchmark for Red Bull, then teammate Sergio Perez in comparison is a very fast broomstick. Perez managed to secure third place, narrowly ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

It’s evident that the RB20 is not just a step, but light-years ahead of rival teams. However, Charles Leclerc disrupted the Red Bull party by claiming second place, denying Red Bull a front-row lockout. Alonso’s 4th place ensured he was ahead of the two McLarens of Piastri and Norris, while the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton lagged behind in 7th and 8th positions.

Yuki Tsunoda performed admirably, securing 9th for RB ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 10th. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is sidelined for a few races due to appendicitis, and his replacement, 18-year-old pre-rookie Oliver Bearman did reasonably well but narrowly missed out on Q3, finishing in 11th place.

However, qualifying belonged to Max Verstappen, securing his second front-row start in as many races. Yet, qualifying is only one aspect of a Grand Prix weekend, the race is where points are won or lost. Only a lack of reliability can deny Verstappen an inevitably dominant victory in tomorrow’s race because the RB20 in race trim appears to be noticeably further ahead of its rivals.

2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Qualifying

1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing 1:27.472

2 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.319

3 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +0.335

4 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +0.374

5 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +0.617

6 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.660

7 George RUSSELL Mercedes +0.844

8 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.988

9 Yuki TSUNODA RB +1.075

10 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +1.100

11 Oliver BEARMAN Ferrari 1:28.642

12 Alexander ALBON Williams +0.338

13 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas +0.378

14 Daniel RICCIARDO RB +0.383

15 Nico HULKENBERG Haas NO TIME SET

16 Valtteri BOTTAS Kick Sauber 1:29.179

17 Esteban OCON Alpine +0.296

18 Pierre GASLY Alpine +0.300

19 Logan SARGEANT Williams +0.34

20 Guanyu ZHOU Kick Sauber NO TIME SET