sport news Ferrari star Charles LeClerc lauds McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri after Saudi ... trends now

Ferrari superstar Charles Leclerc was very impressed by Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri, who wrapped a strong qualifying performance and will start at eighth on the grid in Saudi Arabia.

Pole position was taken by his Sergio Perez after Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen pulled up with driveshaft failure.

The defending double world champion – as certain a bet as existed for pole before the action began – cut a dejected figure as his participation ended in Q2. He qualified only 15th.

The Mexican's pole was the second of his career, his only other coming here a year ago.

Third quickest was Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, 0.465sec back.

Oscar Piastri exceeded all expectations in the final phase of qualifying to record the ninth-best time.

The Aussie, in just his second F1 race, was the only McLaren to reach the final stage - beating his teammate by ten places.

'It's impressive,' Leclerc told Speedcafe when asked about the youngster's performance.

'Especially after a year off and [this is his] second race, in a street track, in a very challenging one – probably one of the most challenging of the season.

'To see him have such a performance is great, however, it's not really a surprise with what he has shown in the past,' he added.

'I was pretty sure that he was extremely talented and he showed that today.'

Leclerc, who qualified second fastest, will take a 10-place engine penalty for taking on a new electronic element in his engine and bump Piastri up to eighth on the grid.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was also full of praise for the Aussie.