After 97 days, it’s time for Formula 1 qualifying in Bahrain. Max Verstappen took pole position in his RB20, followed by Charles le Clerc in the Ferrari. George Russell secured 3rd place in his Mercedes, while Sainz and Checo took 4th and 5th place, respectively.
After all the talk in pre-season, qualifying revealed a few surprises but also delivered some losers ahead of this weekend’s main race.
ALL GOLD
Nico Hulkenberg amazed everyone by qualifying 10th for Saturday’s race in a Haas car. Now, the question is whether he can convert this achievement into points.
George Russell is optimistic about the new Mercedes W15, and his performance in qualifying supports it. He secured P3 for tomorrow’s race. As Lewis is in his final year with Mercedes, could this be the year when Russell steps out of the shadow of a legend?
Despite facing obstacles like poor strategy, an unreliable car, and himself, Charles Le Clerc has shown glimpses of his potential. He has the ability to challenge Max and clinched an impressive P2 start.
LUMP OF COAL
Alpine is the team that performed the worst. Gasly and Ocon will start from the back of the grid for the second time in a row.
Things are clearly not going well for Alpine. Gasly and Ocon, who are talented drivers, are driving cars with fancy spoilers and splitters. However, they are not doing well in the race and are likely to be at the back of the pack.
Daniel Ricciardo started with a smile but ended up disappointed in the qualifying session. He dropped out in 14th place (P14), while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished in 11th place (P11).
Lewis Hamilton surprised everyone by announcing that he will be joining Ferrari next season. What surprised many even more was the impressive performance of the W15 car in his hands. It seems like Hamilton might be returning to his former glory. Has Mercedes finally figured out the new rules and built a competitive car that can challenge Max? Hamilton’s 9th place (P9) finish doesn’t give much confidence that Mercedes has overcome their challenges or that they have a car that can consistently compete at the front and win.
Check out Max leaving everyone in the dust in quali.
