10
19:30
Statement from the FIA
There is now an official statement from the FIA. “The examination at the medical center revealed no injuries,” confirms Haas’ information. “Schumacher was taken to King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah for precautionary checks.”
10
19:27
Schumacher on the way to the hospital
Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher is on his way to the hospital after his violent helicopter crash. Further investigations are to be carried out there. “He has no visible injuries but they want to do some scans to make sure there hasn’t been any impact after those forces,” said team boss Günther Steiner on F1-TV.
10
19:24
It means waiting
Meanwhile, at the scene of the accident, cleaning continues with a large device. Two large trucks have arrived to remove the binder from the roadway. Otherwise it would be much too dangerous on the high-speed course when the route was released. In the meantime, the drivers have all got out of the cars. Prepare for a longer break.
10
19:17
Updated by Schumacher
Haas has new information about Mick Schumacher. The German should be doing well given the circumstances. He could have phoned his mother already. It is also said that further tests are pending and Schumacher may be taken to the hospital for a scan as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, work continues at the scene of the accident.
10
19:10
Continued break
FIA race director Niels Wittich is now at the scene of the accident and is getting an overview. There is still no information on when it can continue.
10
19:08
No update yet
There was no update from the race management as to when this should continue. Even with Mick Schumacher, there have so far only been reports that there is a suspicion of a concussion. Nothing is officially known yet.
10
19:01
Still red
The session is still suspended. Clean-up work continues at the scene of the accident.
10
18:56
Schumacher in the track hospital
The ambulance has meanwhile arrived in the pit lane and is turning into the track hospital. Maybe a small positive sign that it doesn’t go straight to a hospital off the track. There is no further information yet.
10
18:52
The scene of the accident is cleared
It is to be hoped that Schumacher was not seriously injured in the crash. After the German was rescued from his car, there are now pictures of the clean-up work from the accident site. The car falls apart at the back when you lift it. This shows how much force was at work there on impact. Let’s hope the best!
10
18:51
New information from Haas
There is new information from the Haas team. It was announced on Twitter that Mick Schumacher was conscious and was out of the car. He was now on his way to the medical center.
10
18:49
ambulance on site
Haas is also keeping a low profile. Twitter only speaks of a “big crash” and explains that the medical car is with Schumacher. The TV images, taken from far away, show that an ambulance has arrived at the scene of the accident. Schumacher seemed to have touched the curb in turn 9 and then slammed straight into the wall.
10
18:44
Red flag
Red flags! Mick Schumacher crashed violently.
9
18:41
Who is currently eliminated?
Currently not in Q3 would be Pierre Gasly, Guanyu Zhou, Daniel Ricciardo as well as Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon. Mick Schumacher is currently in ninth place.
6
18:39
Verstappen doesn’t pass either
Even Max Verstappen cannot take his top position from Leclerc. Just under 0.062 seconds are missing the best time, which puts him in third place.
5
18:38
Pérez just behind
Sergio Pérez is just 0.041 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, but was already on his lap with a fresh soft.
4
18:37
Charles Leclerc’s new best time in Q2
And then he ousted Schumacher from the top position. A 1:28.883 knocks out the Monegasse. Like Schumacher, he is also on a used soft.
4
18:36
There are the first times
There are the first times. Mick Schumacher is currently leading with a 1:29.920. A decent time, but which should soon be history. Leclerc will be through soon.
1
18:33
Q2 started
Start of Q2! The next 15 minutes are all about securing a place in the top ten. It gets crowded quickly on the track, with the majority riding on a used soft at first.
18
18:28
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“I’m so sorry, folks,” Hamilton reported over the radio, visibly frustrated. Tomorrow it will start from far behind for him. George Russell, on the other hand, made it one lap further as a good fourth.
18
18:27
Q1 ended
What a big surprise! Lewis Hamilton actually doesn’t make it into Q2. The Brit falls out in 16th place and will have to start from far behind tomorrow. Alex Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Nicholas Latifi and Yuki Tsunoda, who was unable to set a time due to a technical defect, were also eliminated.
17
18:24
Also Hulkenberg currently out
Nico Hülkenberg would also have been eliminated at the moment. The Aston Martins drove out again very late. Anything else coming up?
16
18:24
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“I can’t see that I can improve at the moment,” reports Hamilton from the pit radio. “Are we in danger?” The box confirms. Hamilton is further eliminated.
15
18:22
Schumacher increases
Mick Schumacher can improve again and he can improve to eleventh place. And Hamilton? He would currently have been eliminated when he was 16.
14
18:20
Russell jumps forward
George Russell can now improve significantly again and the Briton moves up to fourth position. Hamilton is now only 14.
13
18:19
Schumacher in eleventh place
Mick Schumacher has meanwhile slipped back to eleventh place. He is currently doing better than Hamilton.
11
18:18
New best time by Carlos Sainz in Q1
The Ferraris hit really strong times here! Carlos Sainz beats a 1:28.855. He leads 0.184 seconds ahead of teammate Leclerc. Verstappen is third, a whopping 0.475 seconds behind.
11
18:17
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q1
Max Verstappen marks a new best time in Q1. With a 1:29.330, it easily overtakes the previous leader. But the Ferraris are also really fast at the moment. Can they counter?
10
18:17
Box radio Yuki Tsunoda
There are difficulties at AlphaTauri. “You have to come to the pits, we have a problem,” Yuki Tsunoda radioed to the pits.
9
18:14
Mercedes now with Soft
After Mercedes had driven the first minutes of qualifying on the medium, they are now back on the track with the soft tire after the break.
7
18:14
Route released
The route is open again and it doesn’t take long before the first cars are back on the asphalt strip. The two Haas are still in the lead.
6
18:09
Box radio Nicholas Latifi
“I don’t know how the rear just broke out there,” says Latifi over the radio. Luckily, Latifi appears to be safe and the car is parked very close to an emergency exit, making it easy to salvage.
6
18:07
Red flag
Qualifying is interrupted with red flags! Nicholas Latifi is standing in one of the barriers.
5
18:05
Schumacher sits down behind Magnussen
Mick Schumacher does well on the second attempt and takes second place, a tenth behind team-mate Magnussen. Eleven drivers completed a timed lap.
4
18:04
Red Bull also on the go
Red Bull is already on the road and doing the first laps in qualifying. Four drivers are still in the pits.
3
18:03
New best time by Kevin Magnussen in Q1
There are the first lap times in Q1. Kevin Magnussen is currently leading the list of results. The Dane sets a time of 1:30.425 minutes. Lando Norris was 0.143 seconds slower.
2
18:01
Ferrari already on the way
The two Ferrari drivers have already gone straight onto the track. Likewise Mercedes. Both Hamilton and Russell are initially on the medium.
1
18:00
Start qualifying
The traffic lights are green, qualifying has started in Jeddah. The next 18 minutes is all about making it into the top 15. Among others, Mick Schumacher is already on the track.
17:56
The conditions
The sun has now set in Jeddah. The track temperature before qualifying is 26 degrees. The air temperature is 25 degrees.
17:49
McLaren and Aston Martin far behind
Not only Mercedes is currently behind expectations. So far, McLaren and Aston Martin have not matched either. Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris only finished 16th and 19th, while Lance Stroll and Nico Hülkenberg ended the third session in 16th and 18th.
17:45
Bottas strong, also Magnussen in top ten
Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo was also good in the training sessions. The Finn steered his car into fifth place in the third practice session. Even with Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, it seems to fit despite a difficult Friday and little driving routine on the track. He was a good eighth. Mick Schumacher finished twelfth in the second Haas.
17:38
Mercedes knocked off
The mood at Mercedes should be completely different. The top team of recent years is still struggling with the new cars and Lewis Hamilton only finished eleventh in the final exchange of blows before qualifying. George Russell was only 14. So there needs to be an increase if you don’t want to risk missing Q3.
17:34
Ferrari versus Red Bull
On the second race weekend of the season, the duel is again between Ferrari and Red Bull. Charles Leclerc won all three training sessions, but Max Verstappen in the Red Bull was hot on his heels. It was also close behind the duo: Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz were also close to Leclerc’s best time.
17:28
Racing events take a back seat
The action on the track at the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia quickly slipped into the background on Friday. Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked an oil refinery near the race track on Friday afternoon, raising concerns about the safety of the race track. On Friday, deep into the night, it was discussed whether the program should continue as planned under these circumstances. Ultimately, those responsible decided to stick to the schedule.
Welcome!
Things are getting serious in Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia. From 6:00 p.m. the drivers will fight for pole position on race Sunday!