Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Qualifying

Despite his crash, Verstappen qualified in third place, behind Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Controversy then began on Lap 37, as Hamilton had made use of DRS to pass Verstappen on the main straight, but Verstappen took back the lead cutting Turns 1 and 2, prompting the team to order Verstappen to give back the position. As he did so coming into the final turn, Verstappen abruptly slowed, causing Hamilton to collide into him and damaging his front wing. Despite the damage, Hamilton continued setting fastest laps and closed back into Verstappen again, who ceded the lead to him on the last turn again but reclaiming the lead as Hamilton ran wide.

Verstappen was then issued a 5-second time penalty for the corner cutting, before Hamilton finally took back the lead for good on the last corner on Lap 43 as the Dutchman's medium rubber started to lose performance. Bottas meanwhile had cleared Ricciardo for 4th during the chaos, as Vettel retired with a damaged car with five laps remaining. Mercedes extended their lead to 28 points in the constructors' standings from Red Bull, following Perez' retirement and Verstappen unable to strategically deny Hamilton the fastest lap point due to the time penalties imposed.

Both McLaren drivers outscored Ferrari by one point after the race, meaning Ferrari were all but guaranteed to secure third in the constructors' championship, heading into Abu Dhabi. Despite losing out the podium position, Ocon closed into within 5 points of his team-mate. The F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live stream will see title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen take to the track in the penultimate race of the 2021 season. And after a thrilling qualifying session yesterday, it's all set up for another blockbuster battle. The day prior, F1 qualifying will take place at 12 p.m.

The 20 drivers will race to establish the fastest time and secure pole position. The first 20 minutes will eliminate five drivers and the next 15 minutes will eliminate five more. The final stage is ten minutes and determines the pole position and top ten spots in the starting grid. In the last weeks leading to the race weekend, photos circulated online showed that the circuit construction progress appeared to have been behind schedule. Race officials however assured that the track would be finished in time for the weekend, with the track finally receiving approval from the FIA one day before the first practice session on Friday.

On 28 November, one week before the race, Williams co-founder and former owner Sir Frank Williams died at the age of 79. Teams sported tributes on their cars, and a minute's silence took place approximately one hour before the start of the race. On Sunday, former Williams driver Damon Hill did a lap of honour in the FW07, Williams's first championship winning car. Alpine ran a special livery for the weekend to commemorate their 100th race with one of their sponsors Castrol.

On the eve of the race weekend, Williams CEO Jost Capito announced that he was tested COVID-positive, therefore missing the weekend with the team. Last time out in Qatar, Hamilton converted his pole position to secure back-to-back wins and cut Verstappen's lead in the title race. The Red Bull driver had been handed a five-place grid penalty but quickly surged through the field to finish second to the Mercedes. For an uneasy period before the session began, Hamilton's fate had been subject to the deliberations of the stewards.

He was summoned an hour before qualifying began for two separate offences they were investigating from Saturday's final practice session. The first was for failing to slow under double-waved yellow flags and the second for impeding another driver. Verstappen was found to have failed to slow under waved yellows at the last round in Qatar and was given a five-place grid penalty. Verstappen set the fastest overall time with the Mercedes duo behind, with Hamilton messing up on his initial flying lap.

Hamilton later beat Verstappen's time with Bottas second fastest behind. Ello and welcome along to our live blog for Saturday's Saudi Arabia Grand Prix qualifying session, as we work out the starting grid for the penultimate race of the 2021 Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the favourites for pole position and, with overtaking so difficult at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, starting at the front will be crucial.

F1 lands at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix today as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton continue their epic battle. Hamilton trails Verstappen by eight points but starts on pole, so hold onto your helmets for a potential title decider! F1 fans in Luxembourg can stream the race for free. Make sure you know how to watch a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix free live stream wherever you are with a VPN. Lewis Hamilton made history on Saturday by becoming the first driver to clinch a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix pole position after he beat out teammate Valtteri Bottas and world championship title rival Max Verstappen. Verstappen holds an eight-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers' standings heading into the penultimate race weekend of the season and whoever takes pole position could have a crucial advance as the season heads down to the wire.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's title race will resume on the track at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the Formula One world championship contenders battle for pole position ahead of Sunday's race today. Completing the points would be Ricciardo, Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Giovinazzi and Norris, who was among those pitted during the safety car and dropped to the back during the red flag periods. Verstappen will not have an easy time achieving this goal, however, as the first day of racing proved. Hamilton left an excellent impression by setting the fastest time twice, thus increasing the pressure on the Red Bull Racing team. Valtteri Bottas was also close behind, making for an exciting qualifying session.

The championships are poised superbly with two rounds left in 2021. Max Verstappen leads Hamilton by eight points and Mercedes lead Red Bull by just five. Who holds the advantage in Saudi Arabia after three practice sessions? Mercedes looked to be on top on Friday but it was Verstappen who was fastest in FP3. Hamilton and Mercedes failed to get the soft tyres working properly and Hamilton did not set a representative time on them.

Nd welcome to our coverage for qualifying for the 2021 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, obviously. It's a new, high-speed track with walls close in and one that looks a little on the crazy side. Around 80 per cent of the lap is at full throttle and there are some corners which are reminiscent of Baku's final sector and a bit of the Singapore about it.

So far we've had only one significant crash, when Charles Leclerc hit the wall in the final sector in FP2 yesterday. I can tell you that there are 27 corners – that's a lot of corners – but unlike Singapore, where there's also a lot of corners, there's also quite a few straights, three DRS zones in Jeddah. It's fast, it'll be the second fastest lap in terms of average speed behind Monza, which for a street circuit is fairly awesome.

I think it's going to be spectacular under the lights. I think they've done an excellent job to get the track ready, albeit some of the infrastructure around the track might not be quite as finished as the the local authorities would like it. Two and a half hours long, multiple red flags, tons of drama, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton making hard contact, and huge implications. The penultimate race on the F1 calendar ended with Hamilton getting the win amid controversy, and now there's a virtual tie for the championship going into the final race. Hamilton seemed destined to cut into Verstappen's series lead as he got off to a fantastic start, but Red Bull got a huge break with a red flag while Verstappen held the lead. But then Verstappen got his own bad break on the re-start with a dicey move and had to give up track position.

Finally, we also had a case where Hamilton hit Verstappen in an apparent miscommunication that became controversial as Hamilton said Verstappen braked and caused the hit. With the race for the drivers' championship going down to the wire, Hamilton's pole in the penultimate race offers the seven-time world champion the perfect opportunity to close the gap on leader Verstappen, who will start the GP in third. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton took the pole position for Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by recording the fastest lap time in the third and final round of qualifying. Max Verstappen has an eight-point lead over Lewis Hamilton heading into these last two races of the 2021 Formula 1 season, so the importance on a good position in qualifying today is that much greater. The Red Bull star impressed in FP3, but the Mercedes driver will no doubt have a trick or two up his sleeve as he looks to retain his championship title. Max Verstappen looked destined for pole position, but he hit the wall on the very last corner and that meant Lewis Hamilton could steal pole, with the Red Bull driver set to start behind Valtteri Bottas in third.

This could prove to be a huge moment in the destination of the F1 title. In terms of track dynamic, there will be long straights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this weekend, which ought to favour Mercedes as they gun for a one-two finish. Hamilton had endured nervy moments before qualifying awaiting a steward's decision in Jeddah, when the world champion's hopes for a win and his championship ambitions hung in the balance. Cleared of any offences, however, he delivered with great execution, but it might so easily have belonged to Verstappen, who clipped a wall on his last lap when on for taking pole. He was classified only in third behind Hamilton's Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

In August 2019, plans for a permanent motorsports complex to be built in the city of Qiddiya were made public. During the event, it was confirmed that the track was designed to FIA and FIM Grade 1 standards. At the time, Formula One declined to comment on the possibility of a race. At the start of the session, In Q1, in case of red flags on the narrow, high-speed track, a host of drivers went out on track early in the session, including Red Bull Racing's Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Pérez. They soon annexed the top two spots but after seeing their 'banker' laps quickly dismissed, it became clear that the opening session would be defined by the rapidly evolving track conditions and timing things right for a final run. Verstappen went quickest in final practice and he will look to carry that through to secure pole position for Sunday's race.

Meanwhile, championship leader Max Verstappen looked on course to snag pole position from rival Lewis Hamilton before crashing on his final flying lap. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as title rival Max Verstappen crashed at the very last corner of his final lap. Elsewhere outside the big two, Fernando Alonso's podium finish, the changing team line-ups for next year and even the additions of rules such as sprint qualifying have all been big talking points in Formula One recently. On soft-compound tires, Verstappen took the fastest lap of the qualifying session.

His Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, will be starting fourth. The dramatic finish saw Hamilton tying with Verstappen in the drivers' standings heading into the final round; the first time since the 1974 Formula One season, wherein Emerson Fittipaldi won ahead of Clay Regazzoni. However, Verstappen holds an advantage since the tiebreaker considers the number of race wins this season, which Verstappen has 9 compared to Hamilton with 8. The first incident began on the tenth lap, when Schumacher lost his rear and crashed his Haas heavily into the barriers at Turns 22 and 23 (in the same manner as Leclerc's FP2 crash), deploying the safety car. Those who did not pit before the red flag, such as Ocon and Ricciardo, gained a massive advantage in positions; 4th and 5th, respectively. Hamilton and Bottas led out of the start; with the top five drivers maintaining their positions, heading into the second lap.

A few incidents unfolded behind, with Tsunoda dropping places after making contact with Ocon, and Stroll forced off-track at Turn 5 while running alongside Russell. As the Top 5 began pulling away from the field, Hamilton was constantly setting fastest laps; meanwhile Sainz, who had started in 15th, was making progress pushing through the midfield. The Grand Prix has received criticism from Amnesty International on the grounds of human rights in Saudi Arabia. All sessions are broadcast on TSN, and if you receive the network through your cable or satellite provider, you can use TSN Go by signing in with your TV service credentials.

Cord-cutters will want to check out TSN Direct, which comes in day- and month-long passes for $8 or $20 CAD, respectively. The TSN app will allow you to live stream the race from your phone, streaming box or supported device. The drivers have praised the high-speed street circuit that spans 6.2 kilometers (3.8 miles), with 27 corners . It was built along a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) coastal resort area in Jeddah and workers were still completing final touches ahead of this weekend's F1 debut in the country. The first two practice sessions completed on Friday have given the F1 teams and fans a real idea of the conditions on the brand new Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which had never seen any kind of racing on it before this weekend.

Red Bull's Verstappen topped the final practice, ahead of world championship title rival Hamilton in second, with fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez finishing third. At one stage it looked as if the day might pan out very differently. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has 27 corners and is 6.175km in length, making it the second-longest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar behind Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and the longest street circuit in the sport. Three consecutive sections of the circuit have been marked out as potential DRS Zones — where drivers can deploy drag reduction systems to increase top speed — ensuring plenty of overtaking opportunities. Amid a season where they've gone toe-to-toe all year, of course, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are tied for the championship lead going into the final race. Had to happen, Hamilton cut the eight-point deficit between himself and Verstappen by not just winning Sunday's race but also earning the bonus point for posting the single lap.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's epic title battle heads for its penultimate round this weekend with the first-ever Saudi Arabian GP - and you can watch all the action, and possibly the crowning of a champion, live on Sky Sports F1. Before qualifying later this Saturday, we first of all have the third and final practice session. Lewis Hamilton has been leading the way so far and will look to make a statement in the third session as well. We very nearly saw one of the finest ever Formula 1 qualifying laps before Max Verstappen locked up and hit the wall in the final corner at Jeddah last weekend. But, for the first time, here are his and Lewis Hamilton's efforts from Saudi Arabia compared. Verstappen has pushed hard all season and he was once more absolutely on the limit on his final lap.

On the very edge for 26 corners it was nail-biting but superb, only for him to take too much on the very final bend. For the title these moments may prove vital with Hamilton's attempt to take an eighth Formula One world championship still very much in his own hands. Lewis Hamilton took pole for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but only after this fascinating Formula One season once more delivered tense drama for the title protagonists. The world champion was on top but only because Max Verstappen pushed too hard and was left wondering what might have been over a damaged car, stranded on the track.

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Globally, he's racked up over 50 million record sales, whereas his total number of streams is over 10 billion. In the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it will be Max Verstappen starting from pole position, his 10th pole of the season — and the most important of the year. As with all F1 races this season, the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live stream will be shown on ESPN. The action will be spread across multiple channels, with Practice 1 on ESPNU, Practice 2 and 3 on ESPN2, Qualifying on ESPN News and the race itself on ESPN2. With a perfect race on Sunday, Verstappen could clinch his first F1 title with a victory and a seventh-place finish by Hamilton.

But he may also receive a penalty on the starting grid if Red Bull needs to make significant repairs to Verstappen's car. It gave the current championship leader one final lap around the high-speed course to try to claim pole. But the Dutchman went wide in the second turn and nearly brushed the wall, then finally gave it a hard slam in the final turn as Verstappen desperately tried to bump Hamilton and Bottas from the front row. Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, jumped to the top of the qualifying board with about 80 seconds remaining in Saturday's session. Valtteri Bottas, his Mercedes teammate, then moved to second. Besides the battle between rivals Hamilton and Verstappen there is another battle going on.

It is very important for Red Bull and Mercedes to win the constructors' championship. This will earn the teams a lot of money which they can invest in the car of next year for example. For Mercedes, who now lead the championship, it is also very important for other reasons. They have won the title seven years in a row now and would like to continue this series.

Red Bull would like to end this domination of Mercedes, but the results of Sergio Perez make that very difficult. With two races left the tension is rising when it comes to the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The difference in points is very little and both drivers are expected to go into the final race weekend with a tie or with a minimal difference. The atmosphere between Mercedes and Red Bull isn't getting any better either, every weekend there are protests or complaints against each other and also this weekend they won't give each other anything anymore. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is gearing up for a very interesting qualifying session.

Where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will try to get pole position, it is also essential for McLaren and Ferrari to get a good starting position in Jeddah. What makes the 50 laps on Sunday so hard to predict is the nature of the circuit. With its high-speed blind corners and near walls, it's almost unimaginable that a safety car or red flag will not intervene. DAZN has been the home of F1 in Japan for a few seasons and will serve up a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live stream this weekend. The service delivers live coverage of every race of the 2021 season and stats galore, making it a no-brainer for F1 fans in Japan.