Bahrain GP- Qualifying

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Gulf Air Bahrain GP

Qualifying

March 2, 2024

Max Verstappen secures pole position for the season opener in Bahrain, with Leclerc starting in second place

In Sakhir, Bahrain, reigning three-time world champion Max Verstappen began his title defense by claiming pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix season opener, in a qualifying session that was closer than anticipated.

Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, clinched pole position with a 0.228s lead over Charles Leclerc. However, the Ferrari driver was the only top-ten finisher who did not improve from Q2 to Q3. If Leclerc had matched his Q2 time of 1:29.165, he would have started from pole.

George Russell of Mercedes took third place on the grid, trailing Verstappen by 0.306s, resulting in a mix of three different teams in the top three positions for the first race of the season.

Verstappen, although feeling he could have performed better, was actually 0.228s quicker than Leclerc.

Team principal Christian Horner praised Verstappen's strong performance over the team radio, saying, "Nothing to apologize for, Max. A very strong start. Two tenths ahead of Charles and three tenths ahead of George."

The triple champion, who won from pole in Bahrain last year and dominated the season with 19 wins from 22 races, found the qualifying session enjoyable.

Reflecting on the session, Verstappen mentioned, "The track had good grip, but the windy conditions in the past two days made it challenging to put together a perfect lap, which continued in qualifying. I'm very pleased to be on pole. It was somewhat unexpected, but fortunately, the car felt better during qualifying, and I was more comfortable with the overall setup."

Sergio Perez of Red Bull will start in fifth place, followed by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin in sixth, and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren in seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will line up in ninth place, while Nico Hulkenberg of Haas secured a surprise 10th place for the U.S.-owned team.

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Bahrain 2024 Qualifying Results

Disqualified from Q1

16. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (1:30.756)

17.Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (1:30.757)

18. Logan Sargeant, Williams ( 1:30.770)

19. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (1:30.793)

20. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (1:30.948)

Disqualified from Q2

11. Yuki Tsunoda, RB (1:30.129)

12. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (1:30.200)

13. Alexander Albon, Williams (1:30.221)

14. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (1:30.278)

15. Kevin Magnussen, Haas (1:30.529)

Top 10 Qualifying from Bahrain 2024

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1:29.179)

2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1:29.407)

3. George Russell, Mercedes (1:29.485)

4. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (1:29.507)

5. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (1:29.537)

6. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (1:29.542)

7. Lando Norris, McLaren (1:29.614)

8. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (1:29.683)

9. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1:29.710)

10. Nico Hülkenberg, Haas (1:29.502)