F1 qualifying results: Sergio Perez on pole for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen suffers technical trouble

For just the second time in his Formula One career, Sergio Perez took pole position as the Mexican driver stole the show in Saudi Arabia. 

With Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen forced to retire from qualifying due to a transmission problem in Q2, Perez made sure to take his chance and logged a 1:28.265 lap time to seal the deal.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc came home in P2, though he'll start tomorrow's race in P12 after taking a 10-place grid penalty before this weekend's action. As a result, veteran Fernando Alonso will start in P2 for Aston Martin, whilst Mercedes' George Russell begins in P3. 

Australian rookie Oscar Piastri mightily impressed in only his second-ever F1 qualifying session for McLaren and he'll start from P8 on the grid for Sunday's race. 

MORE: F1 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Predictions, odds, betting tips and best bets

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 provisional starting grid

*denotes grid-place penalty. 

F1 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live qualifying commentary, highlights: As it happened

END OF Q3: Sergio Perez takes pole position for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!! It's a perfect performance from the Mexican around Jeddah. 

SERGIO PEREZ TAKES POLE!!

Back-to-back on the streets of Jeddah for @SChecoPerez 😍#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/GKSruLX81U

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023

5 minutes left of Q3: Perez leads after the opening runs of Q3, clocking a 1:28.265. That's the time to beat then and it'll take some beating! A great lap from Red Bull's Mexican maestro. 

START OF Q3: We're back underway for the final time in Jeddah as the real battle for pole position begins. It's crunch time for the final ten drivers on track with Perez primed for top spot at present.

END OF Q2: The big news from the session is that back-to-back world champion Verstappen is out after suffering an engine fault with his car. Perez takes P1 as a result with Alonso following closely behind. Double disappointment for Haas and Alfa Romeo. 

Eliminated from Q2:

Nico Hulkenberg
Zhou Guanyu
Kevin Magnussen
Valtteri Bottas
Max Verstappen

5 minutes left of Q2: Verstappen is out of his car and he's out of qualifying!!! The problem with his car is deemed too big to fix and the Dutch driver will likely start tomorrow's race in P15. 

8 minutes left of Q2: Verstappen has a big problem with his engine. He's stuck in gear and sounds concerned over radio. This qualifying session has just got very interesting. 

VER 📻: "I have a problem... engine, engine problem"#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/R8OQwhjdjE

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023

10 minutes left of Q2: Alonso sits top so far as Verstappen has a big moment on his flyer and  has to abort. Leclerc and Stroll in P2 and P3 so far.

START OF Q2: We're back underway here in Jeddah as Bottas takes to the track first.

END OF Q1: After plenty of drivers had laps deleted during that opening session for track limit breaches, it's Verstappen who leads the way from Perez as expected. At the other end it's more disappointment for Norris after he hit the wall half way through the session and couldn't resume due to damage as a result. 

Eliminated from Q1:

Yuki Tsunoda
Alex Albon
Nyck de Vries
Lando Norris
Logan Sargeant

5 minutes left of Q1: There's plenty of spins out there as Alonso and De Vries have both lost control so far at the first corner, whilst Norris has hit the wall at the last corner. 

Tsunoda, De Vries, Gasly, Sargeant and Norris occupy the bottom five spots at present. 

10 minutes left of Q1: After the first round of flying runs have been logged, it's Verstappen who leads so far after logging a 1:28.761 - half a second faster than anyone else on track so far! That'll be job done for the Dutch driver in Q1 already. 

Elsewhere, Sainz has put in the slowest time so far which could be of grave concern for Ferrari. 

START OF Q1: Away we go then as the battle for pole position begins in Saudi Arabia. It's the Williams pair of Albon and Sargeant who lead us out onto the track!

Suit up. It's time for qualifying in Jeddah!#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5ctP9oy213

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023

5 minutes to go: We're all set here in Jeddah for qualifying for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The action begins in just under five minutes!

15 minutes to go: FP3 showed just how close the field was all the way down the grid barring the Red Bull cars out front. Because of that, expect a few surprises around Jeddah in this upcoming qualifying session.. 

30 minutes to go: Fernando Alonso continues to excel in his Aston Martin and could trouble the top order again this session as he looks to snatch pole position. 

McLaren are ones to watch a bit further down the order too, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both performed well in FP3 earlier today and finished in the top eight. They need to bounce back after disappointing in Bahrain during the opening race of the season. 

45 minutes to go: Sky Sports in the UK have just opened their live show with a quick focus on Mercedes and their troubles already this season.

Many thought that after they suffered such a poor start but reacted well to finish strongly last season, it would prove a turning point but they've had no such luck in 2023 to this point. 

Team principle Toto Wolff continues to be an unhappy man with Aston Martin looking to steal a march of them this weekend in particular. 

1 hour to go: So it very much seems like Verstappen is the driver to beat again this weekend after his domination of this weekend's three practice sessions, but who could stop him?

Well, teammate Sergio Perez seems the most likely option given Red Bull's mass superiority. The Mexican veteran will be desperate to get the better of him this weekend to make a real statement as he hunts his first World Drivers' Championship title. 

Speaking of practice sessions by the way, Esteban Ocon very nearly put his car into the barrier earlier on which highlights just how difficult this track can be. 

A nerve-wracking moment for Esteban Ocon who very nearly loses it! 🤯#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/990eStBHSc

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023

1 hour 15 minutes to go: A quick reminder before the action begins today that Charles Leclerc has already been issued with a ten-place grid place penalty for tomorrow's Grand Prix.

That's due to the fact that his Ferrari team have had to swap parts in his car following his DNF finish last time out in Bahrain. As a result, he'll need to go as far as possible in qualifying today to try and offset that penalty as much as possible. 

1 hour 30 minutes to go: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of qualifying for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix! 

After absolutely dominating at the Bahrain International Circuit two weeks ago, Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be hunting for more success here in Jeddah. 

What time does the Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix start?

• Date: Sunday, Mar 19
• Start time: 5 p.m. GMT / 1 p.m ET / 4 a.m AEDT (Mar 6) / 8 p.m. local time

Sunday's 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 1 p.m. ET.

Below is the complete schedule for the weekend's F1 events in Jeddah. 

What TV channel is the F1 on?

Where can I live stream F1?

F1 season schedule 2023

In 2023, the Formula One Calendar will be made up on 23 races across four different continents. 

The action began with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5 and will end on November 26 in Abu Dhabi. 

Here's the latest schedule (subject to change):

How to watch Formula 1 in the US

• TV channel: ABC; ESPN
• Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV

F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.

As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

• TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
• Live stream: TSN Direct

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

• TV channel: Sky Sports F1
• Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app

Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

• TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
• Live stream: Kayo

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.