Fastest in two sectors, beaten by a hundredth. The margin was in eight corners.
Oscar Piastri set the fastest time through Sector 2. Then the fastest through Sector 3. He started second.
Max Verstappen took pole by one hundredth of a second.
Key Finding
Piastri was quicker through 19 of 27 corners. He lost pole in the first third of the lap.
Two sectors won, one sector lost
PIA vs VER — sector-by-sector breakdown
Green bars are where Piastri was faster. The red bar in S1 is larger than both greens combined.
▲ PIA faster▼ VER faster
S1: -0.123s · S2: +0.071s · S3: +0.042s
Key Finding
Piastri was quicker through 19 of 27 corners. He lost pole in the first third of the lap.
The maths is simple enough. Piastri was seven hundredths faster in Sector 2 and four hundredths faster in Sector 3. Verstappen was twelve hundredths faster in Sector 1.
Pole went to Verstappen by 0.010 seconds. The entire qualifying session came down to eight corners at the start of the lap.
Where Verstappen built the gap
PIA (Lap 17) vs VER (Lap 18) — fastest laps compared
The blue line is already ahead by Turn 8. After that, the two cars are matched — Piastri claws back tenths but never closes it.
PIA (Lap 17)VER (Lap 18)
Fastest laps: PIA Lap 17, VER Lap 18.
Key Finding
Piastri was quicker through 19 of 27 corners. He lost pole in the first third of the lap.
Sector 1 in Jeddah is a sequence of medium-speed corners with almost no straights. Turns 2 through 4 are where the Red Bull pulled clear — the speed trace shows Verstappen carrying more momentum through the chicane and holding it into Turn 5.
By the time both cars reached Sector 2, the pole lap was already decided. Piastri spent the rest of his lap making up ground he'd lost in the first 31 seconds.
Key Finding
Piastri was quicker through 19 of 27 corners. He lost pole in the first third of the lap.
He was quicker through the high-speed blind section. Quicker again through the final sector. Not enough.
In Miami, watch Sector 1. If the McLaren can't match the Red Bull through the tight stuff, Piastri will spend another qualifying session winning two-thirds of the lap and starting second.