Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sergio Perez takes pole as Lewis Hamilton's struggles continue with Q1 failure
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ByEurosport
Updated 26/03/2022 at 22:07 GMT
Mercedes' struggles at the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season continued at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and that was rammed home when Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1 on Saturday. Sergio Perez took pole position, while Mick Schumacher was taken to hospital following a huge crash in the second session of qualifying.
Perez thrilled to grab pole for Saudi Arabia GP
Sergio Perez took pole position at an incident-packed qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1.
The Red Bulls had a tough time in Bahrain last week, but if they can stay reliable they will be strong in Jeddah on Sunday after Perez took pole - with his team-mate Max Verstappen in fourth.
The Ferraris were dominant in Bahrain last week and they look set for a good race as Charles Leclerc took second and Carlos Sainz third.
Verstappen was once again a touch off the pace, complaining for the second consecutive race that his tyres were not up to the required standard.
"What the f***?" he exclaimed over this team radio. "Zero grip on these tyres."
Hamilton’s Mercedes looked woefully short of pace, and he was knocked out when Lance Stroll beat his time in the closing stages of Q1. It had appeared that the seven-time champion had done just enough to rescue his chances, only to see the Canadian-Belgian pip him at the death.
“I just struggled with the balance of the car,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “We just went the wrong way with the setup.”
While Perez took pole position, there was huge drama with two crashes forcing red flags.
A crash involving Nicholas Latifi brought Q1 to a halt, but a far bigger impact for Mick Schumacher halted Q2.
The German's accident began in earnest at turn 10 but such was the speed at which he entered into the section that he did not come to a full stop until turn 12.
Due to the design of the cars, which are expected to lose parts and break up when in a heavy collision in order to soak up the impact of the crash instead of the driver, there was widespread concern with the driver keeping still amongst the wreckage.
The race medical team were in no rush to move Schumacher until they were assured it was safe to do so, and reports eventually came through that he was conscious and talking, and there is no immediate concern for him as he headed to hospital. Given the extend of the damage, the debris and oil covering the track in the aftermath, it took the best part of an hour to get the track up to the race director's standards.
Concrete lines much of the course and there were worries that the oil on the track would be too dangerous to contend with for the rest of the qualifying session. At its conclusion, Schumacher, Stroll, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and Guanyu Zhou all failed to make the grade.
With Schumacher's car destroyed, there is a chance he may not make Sunday's race. While the top positions are decided, there is a chance that could elevate Hamilton into 15th place, but he faces a struggle regardless.
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