FACTS AND STATS: Perez matches Alesi, as Alonso grabs best Aston Martin start since the 1950s

A thrilling qualifying under the lights in Jeddah saw Sergio Perez grab pole in dramatic circumstances after his team mate dropped out in Q2. Max Verstappen has been the heavy favourite after topping all three practice sessions, but a transmission issue derailed his qualifying much earlier than planned. Here are all the best facts and stats from qualifying in Saudi Arabia…

• Sergio Perez joins Jean Alesi as the only drivers in history to have multiple career pole positions but all at the same venue (Alesi has two career poles, both at Monza).

• Fernando Alonso will move up into Aston Martin’s second front row start in their history – Roy Salvadori started second for them at the 1959 British Grand Prix at Aintree.

• George Russell will start third, Mercedes having not managed to get a car into the top three until the 13th race in 2022.

• Carlos Sainz will be fourth, the same position he started in Bahrain.

• Lance Stroll starts fifth, matching his best start of 2022, achieved in Austin.

READ MORE: Perez storms to pole for Saudi Arabian GP as Verstappen suffers dramatic Q2 exit

• Esteban Ocon will be P6, having finished in the top six in both previous races at this track.

• Lewis Hamilton qualified eight but starts seventh, having been out-qualified by his team mate at both races this season. He also started from P7 in Bahrain.

• Oscar Piastri will be eighth and Pierre Gasly ninth. They both made Q3, having both exited in Q1 in Bahrain.

• Nico Hulkenberg out-qualified his team mate for the second straight race.

• Zhou Guanyu was 12th, matching his team mate’s starting berth from Bahrain.

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• The last time Max Verstappen didn’t make Q3 was in Russia in 2021.

• But the Dutchman did win from 14th at Spa last year.

• Verstappen has started 15th twice in his career, in Bahrain in 2015 and 2018. He retired from both races.

• Only one race has ever been won from 15th on the grid – Alonso in Singapore in 2008.

• Lando Norris suffered only his second Q1 elimination of his career, to go with Germany 2019.

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• Yuki Tsunoda was out in Q1 in Jeddah for the second year in a row.

• Nyck de Vries was also knocked out in Q1, the first time both AlphaTauri cars were out at the first time of asking since Hungary last year.

• Logan Sargeant’s deleted lap time of 1m 29.721s would have been good enough for Q2.