Jeddah, Apr 19 (AP) Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen took a surprise pole position in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after standings leader Lando Norris crashed on Saturday.

Red Bull’s Verstappen beat McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s time by .01 of a second on his final run to take pole for Sunday’s race. George Russell was third fastest for Mercedes, .113 off the pace.

“I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here,” said Verstappen, who was coming off a difficult race last week in Bahrain amid speculation over his future with Red Bull.

He said “the car came alive” ahead of qualifying after some setup changes, but played down expectations he could turn the pole position into a win, as he did at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“It’s really satisfying,” Verstappen said. “To be first there in qualifying is of course the best position for tomorrow, even though I think tomorrow in the race it will be tough to keep them behind, but we’re going to give it a good go.” Verstappen was helped in Japan by a track design which makes overtaking difficult. He kept Norris and Piastri behind him throughout that race. The Dutch driver has won two of four F1 races in Saudi Arabia.

Norris had not set a time in the third part of qualifying when he lost control over a curb and ran wide into the wall on the exit of the corner, breaking his car’s suspension. That brought out the red flag, stopping the session until the McLaren could be removed.

Norris told the team over the radio he was unhurt.

Norris has a three-point lead over his McLaren teammate Piastri after four races, but has said he doesn’t feel confident in the car and isn’t able to drive at his best. (AP) AM AM AM