AFTER possibly the greatest season in Formula One history, the drivers are BACK on the track for 2022 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
And Lewis Hamilton has missed out on pole for the opening race after finishign fifth in qualifying.
Rival Max Verstappen came in second, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starting from the top of the grid.
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: Now TV
- Sunday, March 20: Bahrain Grand Prix (3pm)
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Stay up to date with all the latest from the latest from the Bahrain Grand Prix in our live blog…
Sainz aiming for the top
Carlos Sainz will be hoping his starting position on the grid puts him in good stead for a podium finish tomorrow…
Verstappen feeling upbeat about opener
Max Verstappen is hoping to get off to a flying start in Bahrain.
He said: “Q2 seemed good, Q3 was a bit more of a struggle but it’s alright, we’ve got a good racing car which at the end of the day is the most important thing.
“It’s a good start to the new era. There are a few things to look into and we will try to do better next time.
“You want to be good in qualifying but make sure the car is working in the race and it’s a bit different to some other tracks.
“It was a really nice battle with Charles and Carlos so they did a really good job in the winter.”
Race to the very finish
It was a game of fine margins in Saturday’s qualifying.
Just look at that time difference!
Leclerc admits pole feels ‘good’
Charles Leclerc is pinching himself after bagging pole at the Bahrain GP.
He said: “It feels good. The last two years have been difficult for the team. We were quite hopeful this was an opportunity to be back in the front.
“We have worked extremely well as a team to find ours in the position to fight for better places. Very happy with today. It was a very tricky qualifying session I wasn’t quite happy with my driving but managed to do that lap in Q3.
“From the driving point, it is completely different to last year, I’ve tried many different driving styles. There’s much more to come from us.
“It feels quite good, we were pretty sure Red Bull were going to be quicker than us. Now we need to finish the weekend on a high, it’s not going to be easy.
“We need to focus on that and hopefully have a good race tomorrow. The race is long and anything can happen so we need to stay on it.”
Hamilton’s positive message for teammate
Lewis Hamilton has given George Russell words of encouragement after qualifying…
Magnussen impresses after replacing Mazepin
Kevin Magnussen will start the Bahrain GP in seventh place as Haas enjoyed a timely boost after ditching Russian, Nikita Mazepin.
He said: “I’m super happy. It’s been a massive rollercoaster from getting the call from Guenther and getting surprised by that.
“And then trying to make it happen. There was some obstacles that I had to sort out and that already a bit nervous.
“Then getting here and driving the car for the first time and having a sore neck.
“You hope the car is good, you never really know with Formula One testing and now here having an issue in qualifying and not thinking we could get out in Q3, what a rollercoaster.”
Catch up on qualifying session
Missed what happened in qualifying for the Bahrain GP?
You can see the best bits here!
Hamilton admits car is ‘nightmare’
Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his latest car troubles.
The Mercedes ace said: “I’m not saying I’m relieved, in general I’m really happy with the day compared to where we’ve been in the last two weeks.
“It has been a bit of a nightmare to drive, but we kept working and I’m proud of everyone.
“The guys ahead of us are in another league. In general I’m happy where we are, it’s not the front row but we will make improvements as well as we can.
“These guys (Red Bull and Ferrari) will be going ahead, we are not in the fight with them, my battle is with the guys behind us. Their performance was quite a bit ahead of us.”
Your first F1 season grid
What a mouth-watering start to the new F1 season!
Verstappen looks forward to new era
Verstasppen was upbeat after his second place finish in qualifying.
And he also praised ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz for helping to usher in a new era in the F1.
He said: “Q2 seemed good, Q3 was a bit more of a struggle but it’s alright, we’ve got a good racing car which at the end of the day is the most important thing.
“It’s a good start to the new era. There are a few things to look into and we will try to do better next time.
“You want to be good in qualifying but make sure the car is working in the race and it’s a bit different to some other tracks.
“It was a really nice battle with Charles and Carlos so they did a really good job in the winter.”
Leclerc’s title winning chances
Charles Leclerc is in line to win the world title this year if history is anyhting to go by.
Leclerc takes pole position in Bahrain GP tomorrow after finishing first in qualifying today.
And the pole position holder has gone on to win the world title on 12 occasions in the last FIFTEEN years, according to Gracenote live.
How drivers line up
Here’s how the drivers grid looks going into qualifying at the Bahrain GP
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- Mick Schumacher (Haas)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Alexander Albon (Williams)
- Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin)
- Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
Hamilton speaks on finish
Lewis Hamilton refused to give up despite finsihing in fifth spot in qualifying.
Hamilton was only a spectactor in the proceedings that saw Leclerc clinch a narrow victory over Verstappen and Sainz.
But Hamilotn vowed to keep pushing despite his lowly finish going into the Bahrain GP.
Sainz praises Leclerc
Leclerc’s team-mate Sainz has congratulated him for his pole position finish in qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
Sainz said to Sky Sports: “There was an extra tenth that Charles managed to extract there at the end.
“I’m quite happy with the progress I’ve done throughout the weekend.
“To be even fighting for the pole position today was good news for me.
“I think Charles has been ahead the whole weekend and he deserved the pole position, and the team did such a great job.”
Verstappen on Q3 finish
Max Verstappen has opened up aboout his second place finish in the Q3.
He said to Sky Sports: “I think it was a bit hit and miss. Q2 seemed quite good but Q3 it was more of a struggle to get the balance together.
“We have a good race car, which at the end of the day is the most important.
“Here you want to be good in qualifying of course but you also really want to make sure your car is working for the race, because the tyres are really struggling a lot more there and it’s a bit different to some other tracks.”
Leclerc speaks
Charles Leclerc has expressed his joy after clinching top spot for the Bahrain GP tomorrow.
He said to Sky Sports: “It feels good. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team.
“We were quite hopeful that this new opportunity for us was an opportunity to be back in the front.
“And I think we have worked extremely well as a team to find ourself again in a position to fight for better places.”
Q3 final standings
- Charles Leclerc
- Max Verstappen
- Carlos Sainz
- Sergio Perez
- Lewis Hamilton
- Valtteri Bottas
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- George Russell
- Pierre Gasly
Leclerc nicks it!
Ferrari’s Leclerc has stormed to victory in qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
Verstappen ends it in second while Carlos Sainz is in third.
And Lewis Hamilton ended tQ3 in fifth behind Sergio Perez in P4.
How it’s going for Hamilton
Hamilton’s just ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Russell.
But the Brit’s 1.4secs behind leader Sainz.
Boh Mercedes drivers are using soft tyres.
Top three selected
Verstappen’s behind Leclerc in second and Sainz in first.
But there’s only 0.056 separating the top three at present!
What a thrilling race.
Veerstappen shocker
Verstappen’s ended his first run in third!
He’s behind both Ferrari drivers and Carlos Sainz is on provisional pole.
But there’s still over five minutes of qualifying left.
Q3 underway!
It’s time for the pole shootout for the first time this season!
Verstappen’s in pole position but Ferraris’s drivers will be a threat to the world champion.
We’ll see if Verstappen can hold it together over the next 12 minutes.
Full overview of Q3 standings
- Verstappen
- Sainz
- Leclerc
- Perez
- Hamilton
- Russell
- Magnussen
- Alonso
- Gasly
- Bottas
How things shape-up in Q3
Max Verstappen has finished in pole position going into Q3 with a time faster than Sainz by 0.030s – and a tenth from Charles Leclerc.
Sergio Perez was two-tenths off in fourth.
And Hamilton improved to end Q2 in fifth position, 0.3secs behind Verstappen.
It’s all over for Norris
Lando Norris has bowed out in Q2 and will join McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo on the side-lines for Q3.
The racers joining Norris will be;
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- Mick Schumacher (Haas)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Alexander Albon (Williams)
- Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
