In a close-fought final Q3 shootout at the Jeddah Corniche street circuit, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr led the way after the first round of attempts before being demoted by team-mate Charles Leclerc, setting up a Ferrari front row for Sunday's race.
But Red Bull driver Perez surprised the Ferrari duo by dipping 0.025s below Leclerc's time with his final effort. With his team-mate Verstappen settling for fourth, 31-year-old Perez sealed his first F1 pole for what will be his 215th race start of a career that began in 2011.
