The fast streets of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit play host to his third F1 Grand Prix with reigning world champion Max Verstappen engaged in exciting duels for the lead in both previous years at this track.
The Dutchman’s Red Bull would be at the front again for this race en route to victory at the season opener in Bahrainfor completing Friday practice in Saudi Arabia tops timesheets.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE SAUDI-ARABIAN GRAND PRIX LIVE!
However, an unexpected power problem with his RB19 saw him shockingly exited qualifying in Q2 on Saturday and then start from 15th on the grid as a tough battle looms through the field.
Teammate Perez took pole again at Jeddah, with Fernando Alonso second for Aston Martin to Charles Leclerc’s 10th grid position having already exceeded his allocation of Electronic Control Units for the season with Ferrari.
A place on the top steps currently appears to be over Mercedes, which has had a sobering start to the 2023 season, unlikely to improve any time soon with Lewis Hamilton in eighth – five places behind team-mate George Russell. Carlos Sainz joins Russell on the second row for Ferrari.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place today on Sunday, March 19, 2023 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
What time is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
With all three practice sessions and qualifying now in the books, the race itself kicks off at 5pm GMT on Sunday afternoon.
Back on pole: Sergio Perez claimed first place in qualifying for the second consecutive year in Jeddah
/ Getty ImagesHow can I watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
TV channel: The entire weekend will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK with coverage of the race from 3.30pm GMT on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event. Free highlights are available on Channel 4 at 10.15pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also follow the race live via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on Sunday with Standard Sport’s live race blog.
Who will be in pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
Sergio Perez took pole position in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive season on Saturday, having completed his first lap in Q3 to beat Charles Leclerc.
Those are the only pole positions in his career so far.
Full Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying results
1 Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1min 28.265sec
2 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:28.420 (Relegated to 12th with 10 place grid penalty)
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:28.730
4 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.857
5 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:28.931
6 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:28.945
7 Esteban Ocon (out) Alpine 1:29.078
8 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:29.223
9 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:29.243
10 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:29.357
11 Nico Hulkenberg (D) MoneyGram Haas F1 1:29.451
12 Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stakes 1:29.461
13 Kevin Magnussen (Den) MoneyGram Haas F1 1:29.517
14 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Bet 1:29.668
15 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:49.953
16 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:29.939
17 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:29.994
18 Nyck de Vries (Ned) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:30.244
19 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:30.447
20 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 2:08.510