Berliner Boersenzeitung - Perez claims 'unbelievable' debut pole at 215th attempt in Saudi Arabia

EUR -
AED 4.293926
AFN 80.664061
ALL 97.673606
AMD 448.805894
ANG 2.092137
AOA 1072.008381
ARS 1473.86814
AUD 1.777194
AWG 2.107191
AZN 1.992006
BAM 1.954969
BBD 2.359897
BDT 142.119594
BGN 1.956648
BHD 0.440707
BIF 3438.141097
BMD 1.169038
BND 1.495564
BOB 8.093595
BRL 6.502078
BSD 1.168803
BTN 100.195413
BWP 15.604368
BYN 3.824874
BYR 22913.14706
BZD 2.347702
CAD 1.601524
CDF 3373.844424
CHF 0.930865
CLF 0.029161
CLP 1119.038818
CNY 8.380309
CNH 8.386416
COP 4674.983423
CRC 589.449462
CUC 1.169038
CUP 30.97951
CVE 110.795635
CZK 24.665189
DJF 207.761914
DKK 7.461795
DOP 70.497539
DZD 151.705573
EGP 57.855667
ERN 17.535572
ETB 160.045846
FJD 2.621276
FKP 0.861628
GBP 0.866082
GEL 3.16855
GGP 0.861628
GHS 12.162504
GIP 0.861628
GMD 83.590727
GNF 10119.194341
GTQ 8.978184
GYD 244.526067
HKD 9.176307
HNL 30.804608
HRK 7.533988
HTG 153.404797
HUF 399.5543
IDR 18972.787189
ILS 3.894218
IMP 0.861628
INR 100.328609
IQD 1531.439931
IRR 49231.122092
ISK 142.400984
JEP 0.861628
JMD 186.90056
JOD 0.828894
JPY 172.334969
KES 151.39488
KGS 102.232832
KHR 4700.702671
KMF 492.340851
KPW 1052.173978
KRW 1612.291055
KWD 0.357481
KYD 0.973978
KZT 610.670442
LAK 25169.39103
LBP 104721.265739
LKR 351.480608
LRD 234.977068
LSL 20.949609
LTL 3.451866
LVL 0.70714
LYD 6.307006
MAD 10.52427
MDL 19.78759
MGA 5178.839256
MKD 61.56729
MMK 2453.70284
MNT 4194.046924
MOP 9.450302
MRU 46.415189
MUR 53.168296
MVR 18.007558
MWK 2030.039055
MXN 21.79146
MYR 4.971339
MZN 74.772119
NAD 20.949604
NGN 1786.89858
NIO 42.962591
NOK 11.839321
NPR 160.312861
NZD 1.945479
OMR 0.449493
PAB 1.168808
PEN 4.145998
PGK 4.822327
PHP 66.037214
PKR 332.445259
PLN 4.266015
PYG 9058.149949
QAR 4.256005
RON 5.081579
RSD 117.102724
RUB 91.189371
RWF 1676.400657
SAR 4.384424
SBD 9.733981
SCR 16.480784
SDG 702.011685
SEK 11.176827
SGD 1.496958
SHP 0.91868
SLE 26.307644
SLL 24514.149043
SOS 668.109564
SRD 43.49699
STD 24196.728708
SVC 10.226653
SYP 15199.779355
SZL 20.949595
THB 37.935718
TJS 11.296147
TMT 4.103324
TND 3.393762
TOP 2.738009
TRY 46.955356
TTD 7.940625
TWD 34.1849
TZS 3039.499492
UAH 48.831645
UGX 4189.219426
USD 1.169038
UYU 47.259913
UZS 14794.17774
VES 133.584256
VND 30528.845862
VUV 140.012408
WST 3.21431
XAF 655.672706
XAG 0.030416
XAU 0.000348
XCD 3.159384
XDR 0.812965
XOF 655.250067
XPF 119.331742
YER 282.732293
ZAR 20.963079
ZMK 10522.750076
ZMW 27.056616
ZWL 376.429796
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Advertisement Image
Perez claims 'unbelievable' debut pole at 215th attempt in Saudi Arabia
Perez claims 'unbelievable' debut pole at 215th attempt in Saudi Arabia

Perez claims 'unbelievable' debut pole at 215th attempt in Saudi Arabia

Sergio Perez claimed his first ever Formula One pole at the 215th attempt when the Mexican upstaged Red Bull teammate and world champion Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Advertisement Image

Text size:

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc joins Perez on the front row with Verstappen on the second row after qualifying in fourth behind the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Saturday's qualifying was marred by a horror crash suffered by Mick Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton's shock elimination in the opening Q1 session for the first time since 2017.

It was a dramatic session coming just hours after it was confirmed the weekend action would go ahead following lengthy talks overnight about racing in the aftermath of Friday's missile strike by Yemen's Huthi rebels on the nearby Aramco fuel plant.

"It took me a couple of races! But what a lap man, it was unbelievable!" said Perez, the first Mexican to head an F1 grid.

"I could do 2,000 laps and I couldn't beat that one! he added.

Verstappen described his first lap in Q3 as "terrible", adding: "I didn't really feel comfortable. Checo did a great job today and I am very happy for him."

Red Bull will now be hoping for better luck on Sunday than in the season-opener in Bahrain last week when both their cars failed to finish in a race won by Leclerc.

Leclerc, who looked set to confirm his early season pace with pole before Perez produced a flying last lap, said: "I didn't expect Checo (Perez) to come with that lap time so congratulations to him."

- Schumacher in hospital -

In Q2, Schumacher was the victim of a high speed crash after his Haas car bounced off the Jeddah street circuit barrier at around 240kph after clipping a kerb.

The 23-year-old son of German F1 legend Michael Schumacher was lifted out of the wreckage of his stricken car and into an ambulance by medics

Haas reported that Schumacher appeared "physically fine" and had spoken to his mother, Corrina.

In a statement F1's governing body the FIA confirmed that an assessment at the medical centre "revealed no injuries".

It added that Schumacher "has been transferred to King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, for precautionary checks".

The session was red-flagged after the accident in which the rear of the Haas car was split asunder from the main monocoque and body.

It was the second red flag in the session following an earlier high-speed collision by Williams' Nicholas Latifi in Q1. The Canadian escaped unhurt.

Q2 did not feature Hamilton for the first time in five years.

- 'I'm so sorry' -

Mercedes' seven-time world champion has 103 poles to his name, but in a major upset will start Sunday's race from towards the rear of the grid after posting only the 16th quickest time in Q1.

"I'm so sorry guys," said Hamilton whose new team-mate George Russell was sixth behind Esteban Ocon of Alpine.

"I struggled with the balance of the car, not where we want to be," added the downbeat deposed champion. "Unfortunately just went the wrong way with the set up."

Russell admitted he and the Mercedes team were struggling to understand their new car.

"As a team it was not a good day," said Russell.

"We don't have a handle on the car at the moment. It has been a bit inconsistent. We are fighting for this very small window and if you can't find it you don't have any confidence in the car."

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was seventh in the second Alpine, ahead of Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo, Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri and Kevin Magnussen of Haas.

The Grand Prix weekend went ahead but only after lengthy talks overnight about racing in the aftermath of Friday's missile strike which ignited a blaze with black smoke billowing across the street circuit.

Team principals, race organisers, Formula One and the ruling body, the FIA, had said they had reached a unanimous agreement for the show to go on, in less than an hour, but it took much longer to convince the drivers.

After around three and a half hours of further talks, they agreed to race.

In a statement on their behalf, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) said "natural human concerns" had caused many to have doubts about taking part.

(T.Burkhard--BBZ)

Advertisement Image