Sergio Perez took pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 12 months on from the same location at which he secured his maiden pole.
Perez’s team-mate Max Verstappen, who was the heavy favourite for pole, dropped out in Q2 as he suffered a mechanical issue.
Fernando Alonso will start the race from second place on the front row, as Charles Leclerc will take on a 10-place grid penalty for new Power Unit parts.
READ MORE: F1 2023 Saudi Arabian GP – Session Report
George Russell was fourth, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz rounding out the top five.
Oscar Piastri starred in the session as he ended up in ninth place, while team-mate Lando Norris ended his session by clipping the wall at the final corner during Q1.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:28.265 | |||
| 2 |  |
Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:28.420 | 0.155 | ||
| 3 |  |
Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:28.730 | 0.465 | ||
| 4 |  |
George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.857 | 0.592 | ||
| 5 | |
Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 1:28.931 | 0.666 | ||
| 6 |  |
Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:28.945 | 0.680 | ||
| 7 |  |
Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:29.078 | 0.813 | ||
| 8 | |
Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:29.223 | 0.958 | ||
| 9 |  |
Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.243 | 0.978 | ||
| 10 | |
Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:29.357 | 1.092 | ||
| 11 |  |
Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | ||||
| 12 |  |
Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | ||||
| 13 |  |
Kevin Magnussen | Haas | ||||
| 14 |  |
Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | ||||
| 15 |  |
Max Verstappen | Red Bull | ||||
| 16 |  |
Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | ||||
| 17 |  |
Alex Albon | Williams | ||||
| 18 | |
Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri | ||||
| 19 | |
Lando Norris | McLaren | ||||
| 20 |  |
Logan Sargeant | Williams |
Keyword: F1 2023 Saudi Arabian GP – Qualifying Results