Riyadh, Dec 5, 2021, SPA -- The qualifying session that precedes the upcoming event today, Sunday, Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021, concluded yesterday at Jeddah Corniche Circuit where the British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton booked the first pole position in today's race. Briton Hamilton came first in the race with a time of 1.27.511 minutes, ahead of his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, who will be second in the race, after taking the advantage with a time of 1.27.622 minutes, 0.111 seconds behind. The Dutch driver, Max Verstappen, the Red Bull team leader, will be third in the starting position, after setting the third fastest time of 1.27.653 minutes, despite being close to recording the fastest time after leading in the first and second segments, but he could not complete the lap because of his contact with the wall. Charles Leclerc clocked a time of 1.28.054 minutes, which secured him starting from fourth place, while the rest of the results of the qualifying round were as follows: 5- Sergio Perez - Red Bull 6- Pierre Gasly - Alpha Tauri. 7- Lando Norris - McLaren. 8. Yuki Tsunoda - Alpha Tauri 9- Esteban Ocon - Albin. 10- Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo. 11- Daniel Ricciardo - McLaren. 12- Kimi Raikkonen - Alfa Romeo. 13- Fernando Alonso - Albin. 14- George Russell-Williams. 15- Carlos Sainz - Ferrari. 16- Nicholas Latifi-Williams. 17- Sebastian Vettel - Aston Martin. 18- Lance Stroll - Aston Martin. 19- Mick Schumacher-Haas. 20- Nikita Mazepin-Haas. British Mercedes driver Hamilton is looking for a new world record in his name, by achieving eight titles, becoming the only driver in the history of Formula 1 to reach this number, and reducing the chances of his Dutch rival, Max Verstappen, especially after winning the Brazilian and Qatar races. However, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will not miss any opportunity to win his first title, especially as he leads the drivers' standings with 351.5 points, 8 points ahead of Hamilton, who continues to press in second place with 343.5 points. --SPA 01:30 LOCAL TIME 22:30 GMT 0002 www.spa.gov.sa/w1659912