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Max Verstappen expressed concern for Lando Norris after the latter crashed into the barriers in the qualifying session of the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP. As Verstappen was informed of Lando's crash, he checked with his race engineer to see if the McLaren driver was alright.
The 2025 Saudi Arabian GP hosted the qualifying session at Jeddah International Circuit on Saturday, April 19. McLaren had an edge over its rivals in the free practice sessions, and with a pace advantage, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sailed through the Q3 session.
However, two minutes into the final Q3 session, Norris had a moment of lapse in judgment that resulted in an unfortunate crash. As he exited turn 5, Lando lost grip of his rear, causing imbalance. He failed to control the car and crashed into the wall, causing a red flag.
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Meanwhile, as a red flag flashed on the circuit, Max Verstappen was informed that Norris' crash had caused an interruption in the session. On the radio, the Dutchman asked:
"He's alright, yeah?"
To this, his race engineer replied:
"I believe so, yep. He's communicated he's ok."
Meanwhile, due to significant damages, Lando Norris couldn't continue the Q3 session and finished P10. On the other hand, Verstappen recovered from the setback of the Bahrain GP to register a flyer lap. He crossed the checkered flag one thousandth quicker than Oscar Piastri to win pole. George Russell finished P3, followed by Charles Leclerc at P4.
Verstappen, who is coming off a disappointing weekend in Bahrain last week, finishing P6, has bounced back to come out on pole. This is his second pole victory of the season. The last time he clinched pole in Japan, he ended up winning the race. Hence, this is a good opportunity for Max and Red Bull to make a comeback and challenge McLaren.
Max Verstappen reacts to his pole win in Jeddah
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen fought all sorts of challenges with his RB21 to beat Oscar Piastri and clinch pole in the qualifying session of the Saudi Arabian GP. He apparently didn't expect to come out ahead of McLaren but credited setup changes for the twist in fortunes.
Talking to Sky Sports, he said:
"I definitely didn't expect to be on pole here after FP3 and looking at how the whole weekend was. The car came alive in the night. We made some final changes, and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive; the grip was coming to me, and, around here, a qualifying lap is extremely difficult because of all the walls—you need to really nail it. It's really satisfying."
Max Verstappen also acknowledged that racing McLaren will be tough on Sunday, but with a great head start, he is looking forward to facing the music.
