Max Verstappen took pole position on Saturday in F1 qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang.
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Q1
The drivers started Q1 cautiously because of the tricky conditions they had experienced on Friday. As a result, the drivers gradually began setting their first times on soft tyres, with the exception of the Ferraris, which went out on mediums. After the first laps, Max Verstappen led with a 1:36.477 with around half of Q1 remaining.
With 2.5 minutes to go, the drivers returned to the track to complete another set of flying laps. The biggest surprise came from Gabriel Bortoleto, who jumped up to eighth, while both Aston Martins made it through to Q2.
Out: Hülkenberg, Bearman, Ocon, Albon, Bottas, Perez
Q2
All 16 drivers went out on soft tyres, and Verstappen topped the timesheets again with a 1:35.696 in the early stages of Q2, followed by Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Kimi Antonelli’s first timed lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Antonelli’s second lap was enough to put him in second place. In the final moments, Liam Lawson moved into the top 10, but Bortoleto was faster and eliminated Lawson from Q2.
Out: Lawson, Alonso, Sainz, Stroll, Colapinto, Lindblad
Q3
Isack Hadjar beat George Russell after the opening laps, with Hamilton and Leclerc behind him. The two McLarens then completed their opening runs, but Verstappen responded by going fastest with a 1:35.250. Antonelli’s first lap came after the other drivers’ opening runs, and his lap was good enough for third.
In the final rush, plenty of drivers improved their times. Hamilton jumped to second, beating Hadjar. Verstappen secured pole position — it was Red Bull’s first pole position of the season.
Grid penalties: Hadjra, Lindblad, Colapinto
The full results of the Qualifying according to FIA.com:
