Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Qualifying Recap

Both Hulkenberg and Magnussen safely navigated their respective VF-24s through Q1, with humid conditions continuing into the evening. Armed with two sets of Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires, Magnussen set his fastest time on his first set of rubber, with a lap of 1:29.069, securing P14. Hulkenberg improved on his final flying lap of the session, with a fastest time of 1:29.055 to reach P12.

Q2 began with both cars leaving the garage on a new set of red rubber, but a fuel system issue on Hulkenberg’s car meant he had to park his VF-24 at Turn 8, bringing out a red flag, and ending the German’s session in P15. As action resumed, Magnussen returned to the track, setting a time of 1:29.020. Unable to reach the line in time for another timed run, the Dane finished qualifying in P13.

Up front, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen claimed pole position with a Q3 hot lap of 1:27.472 with Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc second and Red Bull Racing team mate Sergio Perez in third.

 

Nico Hulkenberg:

“The power cut, and on the radio the team said it was related to the fuel system – fuel not being delivered to the engine – which is obviously a problem and they asked me to stop. Yesterday was okay, not great, but we did some decent set-up work overnight, but we can’t really test that until tomorrow obviously. I think it will be challenging either way, especially from where we start with traffic and running with the pack. It’s going to be an interesting day for us to see how the package performs here on a very different circuit to Bahrain.”

 

Kevin Magnussen:

“It went better than expected I would say. The cold temperatures didn’t seem to help us so we were having to do a preparation lap, instead of just an out lap, then push. It looks like we were more exposed with the cold temperatures, which is a different situation than we’re used to, normally it’s the other way around. P13 for tomorrow is a decent starting position, it’s close to the points and I think we can fight for them - it could’ve been much worse.”

 

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“We knew this qualifying session would be tight and we had to get everything out of it to achieve a good result. The good thing is we managed to get both cars into Q2, so that’s pretty good. Of course, Q2 didn’t go according to plan – Nico had an issue with the fuel system which we’re still investigating. On Kevin’s side, I think he had a good chance again but unfortunately due to a timing procedure error, he didn’t get around in time to start his final timed lap, so we’ll review that and ensure that doesn’t happen again. The good thing for tomorrow is that in our FP2 long-run, we had pretty consistent pace, so I still think we can go for a top 10 finish tomorrow, so the whole team is focused on that.” 

 

Today's Data:

Event: Qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Friday March 8
Location: Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah
Layout: 6.174-kilometer (3.836-mile), 27-turn circuit
Weather: Sunny / Clear
Air Temps: 25.1 degrees Celsius (77.2 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track Temps: 31 degrees Celsius (87.2 degrees Fahrenheit)
Team Result: Kevin Magnussen qualified 13^th, Nico Hulkenberg qualified 15^th

 

Free Practice 3 (FP3) Rundown:

Magnussen: 11^th overall (1:29.485), 12 laps
Hulkenberg: 15^th overall (1:29.675), 11 laps
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:28.412)

 

Q1 Qualifying: 18-mins with all 20 Drivers – Top 15 Advance to Q2

Hulkenberg: 12^th overall (1:29.055) – Advanced to Q2
Magnussen: 14^th overall (1:29.069) – Advanced to Q2
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:28.171)

 

Q2 Qualifying: 15-mins – Top 10 Advance to Q3

Magnussen: 13^th overall (1:29.020)
Hulkenberg: 15^th overall (No Time Set)
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:28.033) 

 

Q3 Qualifying: 12-mins – Top 10 Drivers

Pole Winner: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:27.472)