SUMMARY
- Max Verstappen secures his first pole position of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
- The three-time world champion fails to set the fastest lap of the session.
The year 2023 witnessed one of the most predictable Formula One seasons of all time, with Max Verstappen almost effortlessly weaving his way through the entire grid for what turned out to be his third consecutive world championship title. And dauntingly enough, the majority of the motorsport pundits anticipated a far worse season in 2024, thanks to Adrian Newey’s seemingly complicated engineering of RB20.
Furthermore, Red Bull’s show in pre-season testing only bolstered the theory, subsequently bringing out the frowns in millions of ardent racing enthusiasts. However, quite surprisingly, the opening weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix has painted a rather fascinating story thus far. While the entire Formula 1 community was expecting Verstappen to supersede his rivals by over a second, the reality has been far more positive.
Throughout the session, the Dutchman had either a Ferrari or a Mercedes in his rear-view mirrors, and subsequently, the pressure was constantly hovering over the entire Red Bull garage. But, Verstappen, as always, managed to squeeze the extra power out of his challenger to claim his first pole position of the season.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE IN BAHRAIN 🤩💪
The Dutchman edges out Charles Leclerc with George Russell finishing third 👏#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/UrxscFt51n
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 1, 2024
Indeed, not necessarily a sight to behold for fans who are tired of watching Verstappen run riot over the entire grid. But, hear us out! Luck may have played a tiny part in the three-time world champion’s latest pole position under the lights of Bahrain.
Max Verstappen did not set the fastest lap in Bahrain GP qualifying
Of course, Verstappen punched in a massive lap when it mattered the most, although his final pole-winning lap wasn’t the fastest of the session. What’s more shocking is Verstappen did not even clock the fastest lap of the session, as the recognition goes to his fellow rival, Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque had a tough campaign last year, immensely struggling with the disappointing SF-23.
Charles Leclerc’s Q2 time was actually quicker than the pole position time 😩
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) March 1, 2024
However, this time around, Ferrari’s fortunes have taken a dramatic turn, leaving Leclerc with a more stable and powerful car in hand. And the results are finally showing! Leclerc managed to secure a 1:29:165 over his final run in Q2. Interestingly enough, the lap time turned out to be 0.114s faster than Verstappen.
Hence, Ferrari are finally showing signs of having what it takes to challenge for the championship. While defeating Verstappen and Co. may seem like an impossible task, the arrival of Lewis Hamilton only bolsters their chance to pull off a solid campaign in 2025. But, before that, who do you think will win the Bahrain Grand Prix tomorrow?