dpa
Sakhir (Bahrain)
World champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull picked up from where he left off and secured the first pole position of the year on Saturday for the Formula One opener Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Dutchman clocked 1 minute 29.708 seconds to claim his 21st career pole and beat team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.138 second, while Charles Leclerc of last season’s runners-up Ferrari was third, 0.292 second off the pace.
“It’s been a bit of a tough start to the weekend, not really finding my rhythm,” Verstappen said.
“Very happy to be on pole, having such a strong car with Checo up there as well, it’s amazing and I’m looking forward to tomorrow as well,” he added.
Verstappen was already on top of the timesheets after his first flying lap in Q3, but closely followed by Leclerc. The Monegasque, however, didn’t return to the track for a second attempt, but stressed it was a strategic decision.
“There was no issue (with the car), I think we were in the fight for pole which was good. But in the race run we were a little bit behind Red Bull so starting third on new tyres is better than starting first with old tyres,” he explained.
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz was fourth, while much hyped Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, who topped two practice sessions and had his eyes on a first pole position in 11 years, managed only the fifth best time.
Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were sixth and seventh respectively.
