The Saturday qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP is finally over. The Ferraris were phenomenal again, but had to settle with P2 and P3. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez surprisingly secured the first pole of his F1 career. The Mexican qualifying at pole even surprised the Ferrari man Charles Leclerc.

Charles Leclerc had the best start in this season, winning the Bahrain GP. The Monégasque driver was again phenomenal this week in the practice sessions and the qualifying. He topped both Q1 and Q2; he was the favorite to get the pole in Q3. But Checo outperformed Charles Leclerc in the Q3 as the Mexican took the pole for himself. Now, Red Bull driver would lead the Saudi Arabian GP, followed by the Ferrari duo.

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The Monégasque was happy with his performance, but still, Checo qualifying for the pole left him with a shock. Leclerc shared, “The laps are good honestly. I’m very happy with the lap time, whole qualifying was all about just keeping it on track and not doing any mistakes which can be very costly.

“Then in Q3 In the second lap, I went for it and I pretty much put it together. I definitely did not expect Checo to come with that lap time so congratulations to him,” the Ferrari driver continued.

Can Sergio Perez win the Saudi Arabian GP?

The Mexican is one of the best drivers in Formula One. He became an important part of Red Bull since he joined last season. He won many podiums with then Austrian constructor last season, including his second race win. Not to forget the phenomenal teamwork Checo showcased last season in Abu Dhabi to hold Lewis Hamilton from taking the race lead until Max Verstappen catches up from the pit stop.

But the 2022 season hasn’t been that kind for the Mexican. Perez was a few laps away from finishing third in the season-opener, but an engine issue spun his car and he had to eventually retire from the Bahrain race. But the Mexican was confident for the second race weekend of this season and even showcased some excellent runs during the practice sessions in Jeddah.

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The 32-year-old Perez shocked everyone with a qualifying pole for the Jeddah race. Now, Checo will lead the race ahead of the Ferrari duo and also his champion teammate Max Verstappen who secured a P4. If Perez can keep the lead throughout the race, then he might be able to bag the third victory of his career and his second one with Red Bull.