Verstappen fumes after 'terrible' final turn moment

Max Verstappen slapped the partition successful the 27th and last crook of Formula One's newest circuit, handing the beforehand enactment for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.

Hamilton, the seven-time satellite champion, jumped to the apical of the qualifying committee with astir 80 seconds remaining successful this morning's session. Valtteri Bottas, his Mercedes teammate, past moved to second.

It gave the existent title person 1 last thigh astir the high-speed people to effort to assertion pole. But the Dutchman went wide successful the 2nd crook and astir brushed the wall, past yet gave it a hard slam successful the last crook arsenic Verstappen desperately tried to bump Hamilton and Bottas from the beforehand row.

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Verstappen climbed from his damaged Red Bull and walked down the thoroughfare circuit shaking his caput successful dismay. He past climbed done a spread successful the information fencing, caught a thrust successful the backseat of the information car and returned to the paddock.

Max Verstappen aft Saudi Arabia qualifying (Getty)

"That was terrible," Verstappen said. "We don't recognize what happened. I locked up and I inactive tried to, of course, support the car connected the way to effort to decorativeness the thigh but it clipped the rear and I had to stop. P3 is is simply a spot disappointing."

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Verstappen was apt connected gait to instrumentality the rod from Hamilton.

The 2 title rivals — they are separated by 8 points with 2 races remaining — bumped fists aft the session.

"What a pugnacious way this is, incredibly method and complex," Hamilton said. "It's astonishing what they've built here, track-wise the velocity and the gait astir present is phenomenal."

Hamilton earlier was summoned earlier the stewards for violating yellowish emblem rules successful practice, but the British operator was not penalised. He was aboriginal issued a warning, though, and Mercedes was fined 47,000 pounds.

Meanwhile, Australian Daniel Ricciardo missed connected qualifying successful the apical 10 by conscionable 5 hundredths of a second, finishing 11th.

With a cleanable contention time morning, Verstappen could clinch his archetypal F1 rubric with a triumph and a seventh-place decorativeness by Hamilton. But helium whitethorn besides person a punishment connected the starting grid if Red Bull needs to marque important repairs to Verstappen's car.

Pole presumption qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates successful parc ferme (Getty)

Hamilton utilized back-to-back victories past period to portion 11 points from Verstappen's lead. After qualifying, helium embraced Bottas for locking up the beforehand enactment for Mercedes.

Bottas is being replaced astatine Mercedes adjacent twelvemonth and Hamilton heaped praise connected his teammate.

"The collaboration has been conscionable epic with Valtteri, he's the champion teammate there's adjacent been successful this sport, for sure," Hamilton said.

Hamilton, who was fastest successful some of Friday's practices, has a accidental to permission Saudi Arabia tied with Verstappen successful the standings if the Mercedes operator wins connected Sunday and scores maximum points.

The drivers person praised the high-speed thoroughfare circuit that spans 6.2 kilometres (3.8 miles), with 27 corners (16 near turns, 11 close turns). It was built on a 30-kilometre (18.6-mile) coastal edifice country successful Jeddah and workers were inactive completing last touches up of this weekend's F1 debut successful the country.

F1 is closing its play with 3 consecutive races successful the Middle East and 4 full stops successful the portion this year. Hamilton spoke retired successful Bahrain and Qatar and said connected Thursday helium wouldn't take to contention successful Saudi Arabia. The play concludes adjacent week successful Abu Dhabi.

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