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The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has already seen its first dose of drama and excitement despite being the newest venue on the calendar.
Lewis Hamilton narrowly took pole at the venue after rival Max Verstappen crashed out into the final corner of the track.
Max Verstappen was seen driving to the limit at the first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He was on track to beat the British driver to take pole, having set up two purple sectors, but locked up his front-left tire going into the final corner, hitting the wall at the exit.
Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez was seen holding his breath in parc fermé and was visibly upset as Verstappen crashed out at the end of his lap.
Perez himself narrowly missed out on fourth place as Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc beat the Mexican's time by less than one-tenth of a second. The Red Bull driver was seen banging on his steering wheel in frustration after his teammate unfortunately crashed out.
Lewis Hamilton securing pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has not been without any follow-up concerns as Verstappen's Red Bull has created substantial worry over at the Mercedes garage.
In a post-qualifying interview, Hamilton said:
"Ultimately, we weren't as fast as them [Red Bull] today. I couldn't match what he [Max Verstappen] did at the end, but luckily we didn't have to do that. We stayed out of the wall and did the job."
Max Verstappen can clinch first-ever title at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Without a clear favorite at the end of the practice and qualifying sessions, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are evenly matched heading into the main race of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix later this evening.
Since this is a street circuit, Hamilton will have a sizeable advantage over his rival as overtaking is often difficult with walls on either side of the narrow roads.
In contrast, the sheer pace shown by the Dutchman might make life difficult for Hamilton.
Verstappen could clinch his first-ever title at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix if he manages to create a gap of 26-points to Lewis Hamilton, denying the Briton his record-breaking eighth world championship win.
Catch the action live later this evening as Verstappen takes on Hamilton as Formula 1 races for the first time in Jeddah.
