Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening race of the Formula 1 World Car Championship in Sachir, March 4, 2023. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands.
Sáchir (Bahrain) – The qualification for the opening race of the new Formula 1 season, the Grand Prix of Bahrain, was dominated by the cars of the champion Red Bull. Defending champion Max Verstappen secured first place at the start ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez.
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Photo gallery: World Championship of Formula 1 cars in the 2023 season
25-year-old Verstappen claimed his 21st pole position and will be in prime position to attack for a first win in Bahrain on Sunday. The two-time world champion's best results at the Sachiro circuit are second places in 2020 and 2021.
“I struggled quite a bit in practice here, so pole position is a pleasant surprise for me,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by AP. “Also, in a racing setting, our car is even better,” added the winner of 35 Grand Prix.
The expected dominance of Red Bull was confirmed by second place Pérez, who was 138 thousandths of a second behind his teammate. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari took third place with a loss of almost three tenths after minor technical problems in the opening part of qualifying.
“I was in the game for first place, which I didn't expect. But Red Bull is very, very fast and you have to realize that we are slower in the race setting,” said Leclerc, who also saved tires in the final part. “I think it's better to start third on the new ones than first on the used ones,” he added.
The second rider of the Italian team Carlos Sainz was fourth and the fifth place was taken by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. The Spanish veteran from Aston Martin did not follow up on the performance from Friday's practice, in which he was the fastest.
The sixth place at the start was secured by George Russell, followed by his colleague from Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion, who did not win a race for the first time in his career last season, lost almost seven-tenths to Verstappen.
“When I got up in the morning, I expected that we would lose a lot more. However, in the third practice the car felt more alive to me than it did in qualifying. So hopefully the setup will work in the race,” said Hamilton.
Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying Results
1. Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull) 1:29.708, 2. Pérez (Mex./Red Bull) -0.138, 3. Leclerc (Mon./Ferrari) -0.292, 4. Sainz (Sp./Ferrari) -0.446, 5 . Alonso (Sp./Aston Martin) -0.628, 6. Russell (Brit./Mercedes) -0.632.
