JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Max Verstappen completed fifteenth in qualifying on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after he misplaced energy in his Purple Bull in the course of the second a part of the session.
The reigning champion was the clear favorite for pole place after ending 0.6s away from his nearest rival in closing apply and doubling down on that benefit within the first session of qualifying.
However the lack of energy, which occurred on his first try in Q2, meant he was unable to finish a lap within the second session and was due to this fact categorised fifteenth.
“The automotive is just not accelerating,” Verstappen mentioned over staff radio shortly after the issue occurred.
Verstappen returned the automotive to the pits however it turned instantly clear that he wouldn’t be capable of proceed.
The frustration follows a dominant victory for Verstappen on the opening spherical of the season in Bahrain, which earmarked him as the person to beat heading to Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen might be joined on the again half of the grid by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who is ready to serve a grid penalty after Ferrari exceeded his quota of engine management electronics for the season as a result of reliability points in Bahrain.