Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying: Verstappen starts strong

Like every year, the first qualifying session of the season is the first moment where teams no longer hide their game and must give it their all to perform the best session possible. Therefore, it is a particularly exciting moment as it gives a first real glimpse of the current state of the hierarchy.

Q1:

Under the starry night of Sakir, Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda were the first drivers to take to the track. They were followed on the circuit by the drivers of the other Italian team on the grid, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the Ferraris. As he approached the first corner, the Monegasque driver locked up his wheels, immediately aborting his lap. It was a particularly difficult start to the session for the runner-up of the 2022 season, who successively lost two pieces of carbon on the track. Due to the presence of these debris on the track, the officials decided to display the red flag.

After the first attempts of each of the top drivers, it was Sainz who was the fastest with a 1’30’993. He was ahead of George Russell by 64 milliseconds and was one-tenth faster than his garage neighbor, Charles Leclerc. It was a less successful first attempt for Lance Stroll, whose lap was invalidated for going too wide. Luckily for Aston Martin, the Canadian had a good second lap and qualified just a few hundredths behind Fernando Alonso in 5th position. It was also a good session for Nico Hülkenberg and Alexander Albon, who finished Q1 in 9th and 6th position respectively.

On the other hand, Q1 was much more disappointing for Pierre Gasly, who could only set the 17th fastest time. The Normand’s lap was finally canceled, relegating him to the last position on the grid. It was an extremely difficult first qualifying session for Gasly in his new team colors. He is joined in this group of eliminated drivers by the three rookies: Sargeant, Piastri, and De Vries.

List of eliminated drivers: Logan Sargeant (16th), Kevin Magnussen (17th), Oscar Piastri (18th), Nyck de Vries (19th), and Pierre Gasly (20th).

Q2:

After a Q1 session where the Red Bulls were quite discreet, Max Verstappen completed a 1’30’503 lap time that comfortably placed him at the top of the timesheet. With Sergio Perez occupying the provisional second position, Red Bull showed that they remained the clear favorite at the beginning of the season. Christian Horner’s team was confident enough in their car to not send their drivers out for a second run.

It was ultimately Charles Leclerc who claimed the fastest lap of this Q2 with a 1’30’282. The one completing the Top 6 is none other than Fernando Alonso, who managed to finish ahead of Sergio Perez and is only 3 and a half tenths behind the fastest lap.

Despite his problem with his left hand, Lance Stroll managed to get his Aston Martin into Q3. It was an achievement that the Aston Martin team did not fail to applaud. The other heroes of Q2 are Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg, who joined Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Aston Martin in the top 10.

List of eliminated: Lando Norris (11th), Valtteri Bottas (12th), Zhou Guanyu (13th), Yuki Tsunoda (14th), and Alexander Albon (15th)

Q3:

It was Max Verstappen who secured the provisional pole position with a 1’29’897. As a tribute to the last season, it was Charles Leclerc who followed him in the standings. Only one-tenth of a second separated the two men. While the battle between the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers was expected to be close, the Monegasque driver exited his car. An early end to the session, most likely due to a technical issue with the car bearing the number 16.

Red Bull hits hard in this first qualifying session. Max Verstappen lives up to his status as the favorite by setting a 1’29’708. He will be followed on the grid tomorrow by his teammate, Sergio Perez, and the two Ferraris. A promising qualifying session for Fernando Alonso, who will start his adventure with Aston Martin in 5th position, just ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes.