High voltage in Saudi Arabia. Ahead of the penultimate Formula 1 race of the season, Max Verstappen leads the world championship by eight points over Lewis Hamilton. A last-minute mistake in qualifying pushes the Red Bull driver back for the debut at Jeddah’s Corniche Circuit on Sunday (see the race in Saudi Arabia live on free TV today). However, Verstappen could become world champion for the first time. The basic requirement for the Dutchman is first or second place, and help from Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton: Relieved World Cup chaser

Lewis Hamilton is struggling, and he’s also lucky. The Mercedes driver will start in Jeddah from first place, with teammate Valtteri Bottas directly behind him as the brake pad for world championship leader Max Verstappen. “We’re here to win. That’s what our preparation boils down to,” Hamilton said after his 103rd career pole position. The seven-time world champion reported on time. With his third consecutive Grand Prix victory, he can take another step towards defending his title. Toto Wolff was only partially satisfied in the desert state. “We are surprised that we don’t have the pace on the straights this weekend,” said the Mercedes team boss. Because Verstappen would have lost Hamilton by half a second in the pursuit of starting position without his mistake, he said.

Max Verstappen: angry leader of the world championship

Father Jos Verstappen banged on the table in the garage in anger, son Max was frustrated. “It’s really disappointing, especially in this fight,” the world championship leader commented on his mistake in the final qualifying round. Verstappen slid into the wall with the right side of his Red Bull. Tangible pole was gone, only third place on the grid for the 24-year-old. “I’m still here to win the race,” said Verstappen, who was “angry at himself”. Red Bull does not rule out damage to the gearbox. The team did not appeal after World Championship contender Lewis Hamilton was cleared by stewards of a double yellow flag offense in final practice.

Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher: the German duo

Sebastian Vettel was served. “We are too far away. Our car is not made for this route,” declared the Aston Martin driver after his premature withdrawal from qualifying. Vettel can’t get his tires up to operating temperature, and he was stopped by heavy traffic as he chased the starting spot. No more chance of a fast lap. It was a “nightmare”, he said after 17th place. He finished two places behind Mike Schumacher in the already defeated Haas. “If we get a chance to fight, we will,” the 22-year-old announced.

Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia with chaos factor

Drivers are excited about the new course in the Red Sea. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz described the night challenge as “very intense, ultra-fast, very close to the walls”. However, the impacts of Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari or Max Verstappen’s contact with the Wall show that the narrow high-speed track presents a high potential for risk. “The course is too risky for no reason,” Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez said, eyeing the corners that are hard to see. All this could cause surprises in the race. “Either nothing happens or a lot happens,” said Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel, for example.

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