A pole position for Max Verstappen would have seemed shocking before this session — but that’s just what we saw on the streets of Jeddah.

Here’s the full starting grid for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

F1 starting grid: tktk leads from pole

In the first qualifying session, Max Verstappen snatched the fastest time on the board to put himself just ahead of the McLaren duo while further down the grid, Pierre Gasly suffered a stuck tyre warmer on his Alpine and Alex Albon brushed the wall.

Knocked out in Q1 was Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto. The knock-out for the Aston Martin driver made him the driver most frequently knocked out in Q1!

Off into Q2, the fight to get out on the track saw Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) being released into the tight confines of pit exit as the full field rushed to set a lap. Lawson’s day was made even more difficult when his fast lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Lewis Hamilton managed to progress into Q3 by just a fraction of a second over the Williams of Alex Albon. Also eliminated were the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, and the Haas of Oliver Bearman.

Q3 kicked off with drama: Just as Piastri set the first — and therefore fastest — lap of the session, teammate Norris brought out a red flag after thumping into the wall and completely losing control.

A heated battle for pole kicked off between Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell in the final two minutes of the session — only for Verstappen to snatch a “simply lovely” pole position from Piastri by one tenth.

F1 2025: Head-to-head battles

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

F1 starting grid: 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Provisional)

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:27.294
• 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:27.304
• 3. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:27.407
• 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:27.670
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1:27.866
• 6. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1:28.164
• 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:28.201
• 8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) 1:28.204
• 9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:28.367
• 10. Lando Norris (McLaren) N/A – crash
• 11. Alex Albon (Williams) 1:28.109
• 12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1:28.191
• 13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1:28202
• 14. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) 1:28.418
• 15. Oliver Bearman (Haas) 1:27.648
• 16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:28.645
• 17. Jack Doohan (Alpine) 1:28.739
• 18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 1:28.782
• 19. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1:29.092
• 20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 1:29.462

Read next: Our bold predictions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix