Sergio Perez will start from pole position for the first time in his F1 career on Sunday, as he lines up at the front of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid.
Red Bull driver Perez caused a shock in qualifying as he got the better of Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with Max Verstappen having to settle for fourth in the other RB18.
Alpine's Esteban Ocon led the 'best of the rest' battle in fifth position, getting the better of George Russell, who was left to lead the Mercedes charge after teammate Lewis Hamilton dramatically dropped out in the opening Q1 phase.
Hamilton is due to start back in 15th, just behind the penalised Daniel Ricciardo (who impeded Ocon), but has hinted that he might opt for a pit lane start, meaning he could break parc ferme conditions and change the set-up on his W13.
There will be one non-starter, with Mick Schumacher sitting out proceedings after his heavy qualifying crash, leaving new teammate Kevin Magnussen to fly the flag for Haas.
The starting grid below is provisional until confirmed by F1's governing body, the FIA.
Starting grid: 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 2. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 3. | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 4. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 5. | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 6. | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 7. | Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
| 8. | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| 9. | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
| 10. | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
| 11. | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 12. | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo |
| 13. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 14. | Daniel Ricciardo* | McLaren |
| 15. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 16. | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 17. | Nico Hulkenberg | Aston Martin |
| 18. | Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
| 19. | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| DNS | Mick Schumacher | Haas |
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