After a unique preparation that included a peculiar session with Daniel Ricciardo and RB, and with Mercedes and Ferrari showing strength, the qualifying finally provided us with the opportunity to witness the competitive order before the Bahrain Grand Prix.
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3 George Russell (Mercedes)
4 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5 Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
7 Lando Norris (McLaren)
8 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
9 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
11 Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
12 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
13 Alex Albon (Williams)
14 Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
15 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
16 Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
17 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
18 Logan Sargeant (Williams)
19 Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
20 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
It is probably not a surprise to anyone to see Max Verstappen in the lead and on pole position, but his competitors were closer than expected, with Charles Leclerc starting alongside him on the front row for Ferrari.
Mercedes seems to have sacrificed some of their speed on a single lap, which led them to top the second practice session in exchange for a better race setup. Consequently, they were not as threatening as expected, with George Russell in third and Lewis Hamilton struggling with setup adjustments in ninth.
On the second row, Sainz will start alongside Russell, while Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez occupies fifth place, ahead of Fernando Alonso. The fourth row of the grid is occupied by the McLarens, with Lando Norris slightly ahead of Oscar Piastri, and just behind them, Nico Hulkenberg completes the top 10, joining Hamilton on the fifth row.
The race is scheduled to start at 18:00 (local time) (15:00 UK time). Don’t forget to come back for
