A daring two-lap plan from Lambiase gave Verstappen the edge in Q3, securing a brilliant pole under pressure in Jeddah.
Max Verstappen pulled off a stunning late lap to take pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and it all came down to a clever strategy call, one that came straight from his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
Heading into the weekend, Verstappen had actually played down Red Bull’s chances. But after dominating Q1, he delivered a last-minute masterclass in Q3, edging out Oscar Piastri by just 0.01 seconds to snatch pole in dramatic fashion.
The session was thrown into chaos when Lando Norris crashed at Turn 4 with just over eight minutes left in Q3. That red flag created confusion in the pit lane, and a crucial opportunity.
While most of their rivals stuck to a one-shot qualifying run, Red Bull made a bold move: they sent Verstappen out with enough fuel for two flying laps, split by a pit stop to change tires.
That decision paid off big time.
Verstappen set the provisional pole on his first lap, and then sealed the deal with a blistering second run—setting a new track record in the process.
“Qualifying went really smoothly overall,” Verstappen said after the session. “Here, it’s always important to stay in the rhythm, and luckily the tires were holding up well.”
“The red flag wasn’t ideal, of course, but everyone had to deal with it. We chose the two-lap strategy, and I’m glad we did—it gave me consistency and control, and it felt great.”
After the session, Max credited Lambiase for the idea. With Norris’ crash throwing plans into the air, it was his engineer who called for a new approach.
“I wasn’t quite sure what to do after the red flag,” Max admitted. “But GP told me to go out with fuel for two laps. We’d use the first lap on the out-lap tire, then pit and bolt on fresh rubber.”
“Yeah, with more fuel we were a bit slower on the first flyer, but it was the right call. It helped me build up confidence, find the limit, and ultimately grab pole.”
Sometimes, it’s not just about driving fast—it’s about thinking faster.
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Lambiase’s Bold Call Helps Verstappen Steal Jeddah Pole Lambiase’s Bold Call Helps Verstappen Steal Jeddah Pole
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