You’d think that Formula 1 drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and especially Fernando Alonso have seen enough in their careers, that not much can surprise or leave them in ‘awe’, considering their experience. But the final flying lap of Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia left the two drivers absolutely astonished.

In their post-qualifying interviews, the Alpine driver and the McLaren driver were side-by-side. Presumably, the interviewer showed Alonso the footage of Verstappen’s lap as he tried to snatch away the pole position from his championship rival.

Alonso squinted his eyes, shook his head, and said, “That was close.” He also asked Ricciardo alongside him, “Danny, what do you think?”  

Ricciardo too seemed surprised as he acknowledged the effort and near perfection from his former teammate. But it was probably after watching Verstappen’s extremely close shave with the wall at Turn 2, much before his lap ending contact at turn 27 that got an incredible reaction out of Alonso.

“Still purple?!” 

Now, Verstappen will start from P3 as the two Mercedes secured a front-row lockout for Sunday.

Max Verstappen had been pushing it to the limit throughout this weekend

Yes, Verstappen was really going for it in the last seconds of Q3. But it’s not as if the Red Bull driver was pushing it to the very edge for the first time.

Verstappen had been bravely committing himself to this new track right from FP1. This is all the more impressive considering how almost all the other 19 drivers took their time to settle in the track while the Dutchman began testing how far he can push it from the get go.

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And much to his disappointment, the test results came back at a crucial time, in a very cruel and agonizing fashion. Verstappen hit the wall in the last seconds of Q3; yes, he was on probably the lap of the session, and one corner away from making it stick.

Unfortunately, that’s what the margin of error in F1 is. It’s one corner that stands between glory and bust.

And in this season, this one corner could prove pivotal for Verstappen, as the distance between his first title and a second-place finish seems to get narrower.

Also Read: Is Max Verstappen Getting a Grid Penalty After His Heartbreaking F1 Crash at Jeddah F1 Qualifying?