After a fast that lasted about four years, Sebastien Buemi is finally back in front of everyone in style, taking his first pole of the season in Saudi Arabia. A champion performance put in the safe in the last sector, dissolving all the adrenaline in his body with a liberating scream that best represents his satisfaction following a period lacking in particular satisfactions.
The duel in the final was once again intense and extremely fought, with Buemi who was able to beat Jake Hughes by just 60 thousandths with a kidney failure in the final. In fact, up until the start of the last intermediate time, the Swiss was behind the British in direct confrontation in real time, however managing to reverse the situation in the final corners of the lap.
Despite the loss of first position, the young McLaren rookie also performed well on the flying lap at Diriyah, conquering the opening row of the grid, even if this will force him to start from the dirty side of the grid.
The first round of the season had not reserved great satisfaction for Jaguar and Sam Bird, thanks to a technical problem with the driveshaft which had led him to retire in the early stages of the race. In Saudi Arabia the music seems to have changed, bringing to light those sensations that could have been observed in the pre-season tests, when the English team seemed to have what it takes to be able to fight for the top positions. Although he was unable to reach the final, Bird still secured a valuable second row, making him a serious contender for victory
Waiting to find out what the race has in store, up to now the NIO has done well for Diriyah, obtaining a good fourth place thanks to Dan Ticktum, who had previously won in the last free practice session in the morning. The Briton missed the turn right at the end, losing the rear at the exit of the last corner. Nonetheless, an air of confidence reigns within the team, because the Chinese-licensed team is confirming race after race the important steps forward compared to last season with Gen 2, in which it often found itself bringing up the rear.
Rast will start from the fifth box, ahead of Evans, di Grassi and Rowland.
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Out in the second quarter-final was Mexico’s poleman, Lucas di Grassi, beaten by about three tenths of a second by Hughes on his way to the final. At his side will be Oliver Rowland with the other Mahindra, Mitch Evans with the second Jaguar and René Rast, finally in the top positions after his lackluster performance in the first round of the championship.
First among those eliminated from group A is Nick Cassidy, who until now hasn’t been able to make the difference despite the good potential shown by Envision, as confirmed by the pole conquered by Buemi. It will be an uphill race for the New Zealander, who will have to start from the tenth box after missing out on the next phase by less than 50 thousandths.
Qualification to forget for both teams driven by Porsche Powertrain, namely Andretti and the official team. After the brilliant performance in Mexico City, where he was able to hit the front row and win, Jake Dennis was unable to repeat himself also in Saudi Arabia, finding a premature elimination already in group A. In addition to the disappointment for the exclusion add the reflections for a heavy passive, almost six tenths from the top, similar to the one recorded in free practice. Same fate also for his team mate, André Lotterer, who will have to settle for fifteenth place on the grid.
It will be another uphill race for the two Porsches, with Wehrlein having to attempt another comeback as in Mexico.
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
The two single-seaters of the official Porsche team were also detached, only ninth and fourteenth. Pascal Wehrlein missed qualifying for the quarterfinals by about a tenth, being unintentionally hampered by Sette Camara’s NIO, thanks to the visibility problems in the mirrors that the drivers had already complained about in the Valencia tests.
Out in the groups were the two Nissans of Norman Nato and rookie Sacha Fenestraz, separated by more than two tenths from that last useful place – in the hands of Di Grassi – which would have allowed access to the knockout phase.
The two DS Penskes seemed to have started the weekend in a convincing way, returning steadily to the top positions in both free practice sessions. However, qualifying told a very different story, with both cars ruled out even before the duels: putting aside Van Der Linde, making his debut in the category replacing the injured Frijns, Vandoorne is the driver who set the worst time in group B, complaining of excessive understeer.
An afternoon lacking in satisfactions for Maserati, with both drivers ending up against the barriers in group A.
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Max Gunther’s qualifying ended after just seven minutes, when he hit a wall in turn 12 after locking the front in the first change of direction in the fast section. A day that until now has reserved very little satisfaction for Maserati, given that Edoardo Mortara suffered the same fate as his teammate, who crashed into the barriers after losing control of the rear axle in one of the dirtiest parts of the track. The single-seaters of the Trident brand will start from the last rows of the grid.
Nico Mueller did not take part in qualifying, with the mechanics unable to repair the car that crashed in the morning in time.
