Max Verstappen wins ‘incredible’ first pole position of the season ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix
Title hopeful George Russell qualified in eighth place
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season ahead of Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, calling the qualifying victory “pretty incredible.”
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The four-time World Champion saw Britain’s George Russell get pushed down into eighth place following Russell’s narrow win over Verstappen in the Baku Grand Prix last weekend, further pushing his hopes for his first World championship into the distance.
The Bahrain race, which is taking place in Sepang, Malaysia, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, is Verstappen’s first chance to lead the grid since he missed out on the championship title by just two points last year.
“It is fantastic,” said the Dutch driver. “We have been trying to get pole and to finally get it, from where we started the season, is pretty incredible.
“I am happy with today, and for sure I am going to try to win tomorrow. When you start first, that is the target.”
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Verstappen managed to stave off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying run by three tenths of a second. He will start in second place on the grid on Sunday.
“It was really hard to find a good balance, and we made one change before qualifying and we hit the sweet spot. I am so, so grateful,” said Hamilton. “I will try my best to hold on to Max tomorrow.”
Kimi Antonelli, who is currently leading the race for World Champion with 302 points, had to settle for fourth, which is an improvement on last weekend when Antonelli crashed his car during qualifying.
Isack Hadjar qualified third for Red Bull with Hamilton’s Ferarri team-mate Charles Leclerc fifth. World champion Lando Norris was sixth for McLaren.
Verstappen won the last race staged in Sepang and, nine years on, he will be the overwhelming favourite to claim another triumph on Malaysian soil – his first after failing to win a race so far this season.
The Dutch driver is currently in 6th place in the overall race for World Champion with 163 points.
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto will start at the back of the grid as, although he qualified in 15th place, he is serving a five-place penalty after crashing into Lando Norris and Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly in Baku, as well as an additional penalty for taking on a new power unit.