JEDDAH, March 9 ― Max Verstappen yesterday took pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before calling into question his future with Red Bull after his mentor was threatened with suspension in another dramatic twist in the Christian Horner saga.

The three-time world champion clocked a fastest lap of one minute 27.472 seconds to outpace Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by three-tenths of a second with his team-mate Sergio Perez third in a tense floodlit qualifying session.