The qualifying session under the Bahrain lights was once again incredibly close and full of surprises. With the grid set for tomorrow’s race, where overtaking plays a huge role, nothing is certain, and we can expect plenty of action.
Did you miss the qualifying? No problem! Here’s a quick rundown of what happened.
Q1
Aston Martin and Nico Hülkenberg were the first to head out on track, setting a benchmark for the others.
The drivers started to struggle with track limits early on, as Stroll’s time was deleted. He wasn’t the only one – Pierre Gasly and later Yuki Tsunoda lost their times as well.
With 13 minutes remaining, Ocon was in trouble, not even in his car while the Haas mechanics worked on some adjustments. The Frenchman eventually got running.
As the first session continued, Max Verstappen was heard over the radio, stating that something was very wrong with his car as he went wide and aborting his lap. With Tsunoda having his time deleted early on, the two Red Bull cars were under a lot of pressure to perform on their second run.
Meanwhile, Jack Doohan put together a competitive lap and took provisional pole, which was later claimed by Charles Leclerc, and then by the two McLarens, with Lando Norris finishing P1 at the end with a time of 1:31.107.
Out in Q1:
Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman
Q2
This time, the pack was led by Red Bull, not wasting any time or taking any risks. Tsunoda switched to new soft tyres, while many others opted to stay on used compounds.
With 11 minutes remaining, Ocon had a big moment, crashing into the barrier at Turn 2, which brought out the red flag.
The action resumed with just 10 minutes left in the session, and the drivers began putting together crucial laps.
Kimi Antonelli was the first to set a benchmark, with Russell unable to match his teammate and settling for P2.
Later on, and not surprisingly, both McLaren drivers claimed the top two positions once again, with Piastri leading with a time of 1:30.454. Verstappen aborted another lap, while Leclerc secured P3.
The Alpine drivers were keeping themselves up as well, giving the team hope for their first points of the weekend. However, the Australian driver was knocked out in the end, while Gasly pushed hard and finished in P3.
Out in Q2:
Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon
Q3
In Q3, Tsunoda was first out again on used tyres, followed closely by his teammate, who seemed to struggle once more, complaining about his brakes over the radio.
Mercedes went onto new tyres immediately, with Russell taking provisional pole with a time of 1:30.364, 1.130 seconds quicker than his younger teammate. However, the two were soon separated by the two Ferraris, with Leclerc jumping into P2 and Hamilton settling into P3.
Piastri then stole pole position from Russell, with Norris unable to improve his time and settling for P3.
With only four minutes left in the session, both Antonelli and Hamilton had their times deleted due to track limits, increasing the pressure.
Russell put together an impressive lap once again, setting all purple sectors and a time of 1:30.009. The rest of the drivers also improved, with Leclerc taking P2 and Gasly jumping into P5.
Eventually, Piastri kept the momentum and claimed McLaren’s first pole position at the Bahrain circuit, being the only driver to set a time in the 1:29 window. His teammate, on the other hand, struggled to deliver and ended up in a disappointing P6, with Verstappen taking P7.
Top 10:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 1:29.841
- George Russell (Mercedes): 1:30.009
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 1:30.175
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 1:30.213
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 1:30.216
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 1:30.267
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:30.423
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): 1:30.680
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 1:30.772
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull): 1:31.303