Season opener in Bahrain – New season, old picture: Verstappen takes pole position – Sport

World champion Max Verstappen tackles the Bahrain Grand Prix from position 1. The Sauber drivers disappoint.

Max Verstappen fended off the first attack from the competition and took pole position for the start of the Formula 1 season. The world champion in the Red Bull turned the fastest lap in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in 1:29.179 minutes, which put him a good two tenths of a second ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Mercedes driver George Russell came third on the desert circuit in Sakhir.

The qualifying was initially much tighter than expected, and it was only in the final section that the Dutchman took the lead. Behind the dominator of the past few years, the field is mixed up. Places four, five and six are occupied by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton, surprisingly the fastest man in free training on Friday, only ended up in ninth place.

For Verstappen, who had not achieved a single best time in the three training sessions, it is the 33rd pole position of his career. In Sakhir he takes the best starting position for the second time (after last year).

Sauber drivers out in Q1

The working day for Sauber drivers Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas ended early; both were eliminated in the first part of qualifying. The Finn Bottas will start the race on Saturday from 16th place, his teammate Zhou right behind him from 17th position. The duo were only separated by a thousandth.