Sergio Perez has claimed just the second pole of his career after qualifying fastest for Sunday's Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
After Perez finished behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in Bahrain two weeks ago, much of the same was expected for this weekend.
However, while Perez was able to secure a spot at the front of the grid, Verstappen will start in 15th place after suffering power failure in Q2.
While Perez capitalising on that issue was far from a foregone conclusion, the Mexican was able to finish 0.155 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc.
CHECO: "You really feel Formula 1 cars coming alive in this place... Max has been really strong this weekend, hopefully tomorrow we can have both cars up there"#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/iomVBORwiO
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 18, 2023
Rather than start in second position, the Ferrari drops down to 12th courtesy of a 10-place grid penalty, allowing Fernando Alonso to be promoted in his Aston Martin.
Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr were also notable beneficiaries to take their place on the second row.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Alpine's Esteban Ocon will start in fifth and sixth respectively, with Lewis Hamilton having to settle for seventh.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Haas' Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Darren Plant
