Max Verstappen grabs Saudi Arabian GP pole after Lando Norris hits wall

Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as McLaren's Formula One leader Lando Norris hit the wall and qualified 10th on Saturday. McLaren's hugely impressive Oscar Piastri joined the four-times world champion on the front row for Sunday's night race. Mercedes's George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will share the second row in third and fourth for the Saudi Arabian race . Championship leader Norris branded himself an "idiot" on the radio after hitting the kerbs at turns four and five and crashing into the wall during his first run in Q3. His session was over and Verstappen , Piastri and Russell were left to slug it out for pole, with the Dutchman banishing pre-race talk over his future with another scintillating qualifying performance. Norris has admitted not feeling "comfortable" with his McLaren and said after qualifying sixth last weekend in Bahrain that he was "clueless" how to get the best out of his car. The British driver leads Piastri by three points in the championship standings after the Australian's victory in Bahrain last weekend, with a title tussle between the pair gaining pace. Their McLaren had again looked the class of the field during practice in Jeddah and Norris appeared set to duel it out for pole. But his qualifying confidence is likely to have taken a further hit after another missed opportunity. His error came on his first attempt as he lost control on the kerbs and crashed into the wall on the left, bringing out an early red flag. Verstappen's future has dominated the pre-race talk, with a tough weekend in Bahrain sparking speculation that he may want to find an exit from Red Bull. The Dutchman had not looked a match for the McLarens during practice but, as he did in Japan a fortnight ago, produced a brilliant qualifying display. Piastri had surged to the top of the charts on his final run but Verstappen was faultless with his lap at the death to take it by just 0.010 seconds. It was another significant performance from Verstappen, even as Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had said there have been no talks between Mercedes and Verstappen. Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko had said the "concern is great" that Verstappen might leave the team before his contract ends in 2028. Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner have played down such talk, but links for the Dutchman with Mercedes and Aston Martin persist. Mercedes boss Wolff, who made a public pursuit of the four-time world champion to replace Lewis Hamilton last season, says there has been no contact with Verstappen. "I'm super happy with the line-up we have, I couldn't wish for anything better," Wolff told Sky Sports. "Max is at Red Bull, we haven't had a conversation, we are continuing our trajectory." Meanwhile, Hamilton's disappointing qualifying form continued as he could manage only seventh. The seven-time world champion admitted after qualifying ninth in Bahrain that he needed to fix his Saturday form. Excluding sprint qualifying, he has now only finished in the top five twice in 15 attempts dating back to last season with Mercedes. Ferrari have looked way off the pace all weekend and Hamilton only squeezed through Q2 by 0.007 seconds. He ended up over nine tenths off Verstappen's time.

Max Verstappen grabs Saudi Arabian GP pole after Lando Norris hits wall

Championship leader Norris hits kerbs and crashes during qualifying