Max Verstappen will start his quest for a fourth successive F1 world title from pole position in Saturday’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after seeing off a fierce challenge from Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc in 2024’s first qualifying hour.

George Russell took a promising third for Mercedes, within a tenth of Leclerc, in their much-changed new car although team-mate Lewis Hamilton was only ninth and will start from row five on the season’s first grid.

Verstappen, whose team boss Christian Horner oversaw the session in his usual position on the Red Bull pit wall and gave his driver a message of congratulations on the radio after the Dutchman claimed pole, delivered a best Q3 lap of 1:29.179 with his final attempt to edge out second-placed Leclerc by 0.228s.

Leclerc had actually gone marginally quicker than Verstappen’s eventual pole time in the preceding Q2 but eventually lapped two tenths slower in the decisive final phase.

Up until then it looked as though Ferrari had a real chance of denying Verstappen and Red Bull, last year’s runaway world champions, the prized position at the front of Saturday’s grid after Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz had each topped the first two segments of qualifying.

Sainz ended up fourth – ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who took fifth after lapping 0.358s slower than Verstappen.

Although within half a second of Verstappen’s pole time and just two tenths away from Leclerc, a closely-packed top 10 meant Lando Norris was only seventh in the lead McLaren, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso pipping the Briton to sixth.

A rueful Norris, who has driven strongly in qualifying up to the closing stages, admitted to a pair of mistakes on his final attempt and told Sky Sports F1: “I just didn’t do what I should have done.”

Despite fears they would be cut adrift at the back, Nico Hulkenberg produced the kind of qualifying heroics that came a regular feature of last year and again made Q3 in 10th.

Instead Friday’s first qualifying hour of the season proved a rude awakening for Alpine.

The team, who finished sixth in last year’s standings a long way behind the leading teams but comfortably clear of the rest of the field, have made wholesale changes to their car for 2024 in a bid to find a step-change in performance.

But, for now at least, that change has sent them in the wrong direction on the grid with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly to line up 19th and 20th respectively for the season-opener. The team are confident they have lots of potential to unlock but warned at the start of the race weekend that it would take them some time.

Bahrain GP Qualifying: Top 10
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

More to follow…

Sky Sports F1’s live Bahrain GP schedule

Saturday March 2

• 8.55am: F3 Feature Race
• 10.25am: F2 Feature Race
• 1.30pm: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Saturday
• 3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
• 5pm: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
• 6pm: Ted’s Notebook
• 6.30pm: Bahrain GP highlights

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