"They had a very dominant package today" - Mercedes claim Red Bull was set up for qualifying instead of race

Mercedes are well placed for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix later this evening, having secured a 1-2 in yesterday's qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton narrowly took pole position on Saturday evening after rival Max Verstappen crashed out going into the final corner of the track after setting up purple sectors prior to the incident.

Hamilton was dominant in the first two practice sessions on Friday but soon lost pace to Verstappen in the third practice session and qualifying. The Briton struggled to get temperatures into his tires despite the track being full of fast esses and chicanes.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented on the dramatic end to the qualifying session, saying that a front-row lockout is "crazy" for Mercedes.

In an interview with Sky F1, the Mercedes executive admitted that Red Bull had a dominant car for the session, but also claimed that perhaps the team was counting on a successful qualifying for the race ahead. He said:

"They've had a very dominant package today, after the end of qualifying. Their car was great and they brought the tires into the window with a single warm-up lap, while we struggled to really have enough grip. It was important at that stage to just keep it together, continue attacking, continue attacking.

He went on to talk about Max Verstappen's lap, which would have seen the Dutchman on pole by nearly half a second. He said:

Max was up by half a second and pole was basically gone, but he ran wide at the last corner, kept going, stayed on it and touched the wall. We ended up with a one-two which is a big, big advantage for tomorrow. We think they concentrated on a single lap [pace], that's why they brought the tyre into the window quickly," he explained. "If we have that tiny bit of an advantage tomorrow, who knows?"

Mercedes and Red Bull will battle it out for both, the drivers' championship as well as the constructors' championship.

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Mercedes and Red Bull neck and neck in constructors' championship

As it stands, Mercedes and Red Bull are on an almost equal footing in the constructors' championship. A mere five-points separate the two teams ahead of the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Mercedes leading the race.

The Brackley-based team will clinch the constructors' championship if they manage to outscore Red Bull by 40 points. The situation puts additional pressure on Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, with the former in contention for the drivers' trophy.

Meanwhile, Ferrari and McLaren are battling for third place, with the former well in the lead over the team from Woking.

Catch the action live as we head to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the first time under racing conditions later this evening, where Mercedes and Red Bull continue their epic jousting battle.