Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Max Verstappen said his Red Bull car had “come alive” after he nailed pole for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a track record in a gripping qualifying session on Saturday.

Piastri’s teammate, championship leader Lando Norris, crashed in the top 10 shoot-out and will start on the fifth row of Sunday’s race.

Four-time world champion Verstappen was in irrepressible form under the floodlights on the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit, grabbing the front of the grid with a 1min 27.294sec lap, one hundredth of a second quicker than Piastri.

It was a huge turnaround for the Dutchman after he and his Red Bull team had struggled in Bahrain last weekend.

“Simply lovely! I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here,” said a beaming Verstappen.

“The car came alive in the night, we made some final changes and it was more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me.”

“I think tomorrow in the race, it will be tough to keep them (McLaren) behind, but we’ll give it a good go,” he added.

Norris leads the drivers’ standings by three points from Piastri, with Verstappen five points back, ahead of this fifth round of the 24-race season.

George Russell will set off on the second row in his Mercedes alongside the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren are seeking their fourth win from five on Sunday, after Norris took the season-opener in Melbourne with Piastri clicking in China and Sakhir.

Piastri said, despite Verstappen’s masterful performance, there was “all to play for” in the race.

“I think Max has done a good job,” said the Australian.”

“It’s another high-speed circuit for (Red Bull), where they seem to be having a little bit more success, but a good job again.”

“I think our pace is good. It’s going to be a tough race.”

Qualifying got underway after the sun had dipped over the Red Sea, mercifully ushering in cooler night conditions for the drivers.

Hapless Norris

Verstappen led the two McLarens into the second qualifying session with five falling at the first hurdle: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber).

Verstappen, bouncing back from a forgettable sixth in Bahrain, split the McLarens at the end of the second segment — but missing out were Alex Albon (Williams), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), RB’s Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman (Haas).

The stage was then set for F1’s version of the penalty shoot-out, with the outcome too close to call.

Tension rippled around the spectacular street circuit as the session started.

Piastri posted provisional pole with his first flying lap, only for the red flag to then come out when Norris hit the wall after turn four.

“I’m OK,” the Briton said, muttering “Idiot.”

“He’s alright, yeah?” asked Verstappen of Norris.

That left the driver who had looked so strong in practice cruelly out of contention, starting in 10th on the grid, leaving the way clear for his teammate and potential main rival for the title, Piastri, to take pole.

Once Norris’ stricken machine had been removed from the scene of battle, the first qualifying session, reduced to nine, resumed with six minutes left on the clock.

Verstappen replaced Piastri at the top of the time sheets by one thousandth of a second ahead of the final tense flying laps.

Russell produced a huge lap to go provisional top only for Piastri, and then Verstappen to have the final say.

Pole position is significant in Saudi Arabia, with the driver at the front of the grid emerging the winner three times since the track joined the F1 calendar in 2021.

Jeddah’s track proudly proclaims itself as the fastest street circuit on the calendar.

With a record 27 corners, and much of the sinuous strip of asphalt squeezed around a lagoon hemmed in by walled barriers, the element of risk and reward is great.

One momentary lapse in concentration can make the difference between triumph and disaster — just ask hapless Norris.