Max Verstappen proves everybody wrong, did not show the true pace in the practice session but made his mark, securing pole position by over two-tenths to his monocoque rival, Charles Leclerc who crossed the line second fastest and George Russell who sealed third for Mercedes for tomorrow’s race on Saturday.
But is this a taster for the flying Dutchman pace in the Red Bull or are we expecting from more his rivals?
Qualifying 1
Qualifying 1 saw the surprise knockout of both Alpine drivers, the team from Enstone, who had investors supporting the team going forward in Formula 1 now resulted in occupying the back row of the grid. As Alpine looked for a hopeful start there were concerns that the Gasly and Ocon would struggle, and it clearly shows that the Alpine team will have a lot of work to do back at Enstone. And with Kick Sauber formed from Alfa Romeo shows that the team are also struggling on pure race pace. And the American driver of Logan Sergeant struggling to match the pace of his teammate in the same machinery.
16. Valtteri Bottas – Kick Sauber +0.847 – 1:30.756
17. Guanyu Zhou – Kick Sauber +0.848 – 1:30.757
18. Logan Sargeant – Williams +0.861 – 1:30.770
19 Esteban Ocon – Alpine +0.884 – 1:30.793
20 Pierre Gasly – Alpine +1.039 – 1:30.948
Qualifying 2
Only 0.007 of a second away from the top 10 shootout, Yuki Tsunoda showing that the RB has the potential of points on Saturday. However, the Japanese driver was unhappy with his lap, not saying much on the team radio after the session. Lance Stroll, another who cannot match the pace of his teammate is struggling to maximise the potential of the AMR24. And Alex Albon one of the dark horses on the grid is keeping it close on the tail with RB, just under a tenth away from Tsunoda.
11. Yuki Tsunoda RB – +0.964 – 1:30.129
12. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – +1.035 – 1:30.200
13. Alex Albon – Williams – +1.056 – 1:30.221
14. Daniel Ricciardo – RB – +1.113 – 1:30.278
15. Kevin Magnussen – Haas – +1.364 – 1:30.529
Top 10 Shootout
After all the sandbagging and hiding their true potential, Max Verstappen beats his closest rival, Charles Leclerc to secure the first pole position of the season with Mercedes also lurking in the wind. With George Russell securing third in the final part of Qualifying 3 for the grid tomorrow. However, the grid between Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton is separated by three-tenths, demonstrating that the gap between the top teams has significantly reduced.
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull – 1:29.179
2. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – +0.228 – 1:29.407
3. George Russell – Mercedes – +0.306 – 1:29.485
4. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari – +0.328 – 1:29.507
5. Sergio Perez – Red Bull – +0.358 – 1:29.537
6. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – +0.363 – 1:29.542
7. Lando Norris – McLaren – +0.435 – 1:29.614
8. Oscar Piastri – McLaren – +0.504 – 1:29.683
9. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes – +0.531 – 1:29.710
10. Nico Hulkenburg – Haas – +1.323 – 1:30.502
Conclusion
As the dust settles, qualifying comes to an end, the heart rate stabilises, and all drivers will be looking through the data, discussing race strategies and visualising their goals for the Grand Prix tomorrow.
Also Read: Verstappen took part in a 24-hour sim race to be prepared for Hungary
But with every team improving and during the winter and pre-season testing, will we see anyone mount a charge on the dominant Red Bulls and their main competitor, the three-time world champion, Max Verstappen?
Tune in tomorrow to find out more for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Saturday (2nd March)
3 pm – The Bahrain Grand Prix
If you would like to learn more news about the world of Formula 1, then why not check out? “Night Lights and Tight Fights: Analysing the Bahrain International Circuit” or “Sebastian Vettel Returning to Formula 1: When and Where?”
Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool