F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Red Bull's Max Verstappen Secures First Pole of 2024 Ahead of Leclerc and Russell
In the kickoff to the 2024 Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen claimed the coveted first pole position, outpacing Charles Leclerc by a notable 0.228 seconds, securing his spot at the forefront of the Bahrain Grand Prix grid.
By Divyam Dubey
During qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured the first pole position of the 2024 Formula 1 season. In a remarkable benchmark time of 1:29.179, the Dutch driver beat Charles Leclerc of Ferrari by 0.228 seconds, with George Russell of Mercedes securing third place. Despite the widespread belief that Red Bull will cruise to success in the first qualifying session of the season, practice results were all over the place, keeping things interesting in the competitive landscape.
Verstappen never led a track session in 2024 before qualifying, but he was unstoppable in the final moments, securing the 33rd pole position of his career. Showing off his skills, George Russell qualified third, just 0.306 seconds behind Max Verstappen. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, struggled in qualifying and ended up in ninth place. Carlos Sainz of Ferrari took fourth place, followed by Sergio Perez of Red Bull, who was more than three-tenths of a second behind.
After finishing only one lap in Q3, Fernando Alonso moved up to third place, but he fell to sixth as the race drew to a close and other drivers made moves. Lando Norris spearheaded the McLaren push and finished seventh, one spot ahead of Oscar Piastri. Hamilton was content with ninth place, and Nico Hulkenberg of Haas completed the top ten.
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Quali Result
After the rebranding, Yuki Tsunoda took eleventh place for the RB team, ahead of Alex Albon of Williams and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. While RB's Daniel Ricciardo took fourteenth place, Kevin Magnussen was unable to repeat his teammate's success and settled for fifteenth. Sauber's Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and Williams' Logan Sargeant were eliminated in the first round of qualifying.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 01:30.0 | 01:29.4 | 01:29.2 | 17 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 01:30.2 | 01:29.2 | 01:29.4 | 19 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 01:30.4 | 01:29.9 | 01:29.5 | 17 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 01:29.9 | 01:29.6 | 01:29.5 | 18 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | 01:30.2 | 01:29.9 | 01:29.5 | 17 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 01:30.2 | 01:29.8 | 01:29.5 | 14 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 01:30.1 | 01:29.9 | 01:29.6 | 15 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 01:30.5 | 01:30.1 | 01:29.7 | 18 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 01:30.5 | 01:29.7 | 01:29.7 | 18 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 01:30.6 | 01:29.9 | 01:30.5 | 18 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | VCARB | 01:30.5 | 01:30.1 | 12 | |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 01:30.0 | 01:30.2 | 12 | |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 01:30.4 | 01:30.2 | 12 | |
| 14 | Daniel Ricciardo | VCARB | 01:30.6 | 01:30.3 | 12 | |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 01:30.6 | 01:30.5 | 12 | |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 01:30.8 | 6 | ||
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 01:30.8 | 6 | ||
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 01:30.8 | 6 | ||
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 01:30.8 | 9 | ||
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 01:30.9 | 9 |
Alpine had a terrible qualifying session, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing last. As a result of their underwhelming performance, the French squad will start Saturday's season opener at the very back of the grid.
