Bahrain GP: Hamilton Pole 98
Hamilton on pole from Bottas as Red Bull lock out the second row in Bahrain
Max Verstappen hinted he could be a thorn in the side of Mercedes in Bahrain in final practice, but when it mattered the Silver Arrows came to the fore, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton dominating every segment of qualifying to take a stunning pole position.
Mercedes dominate Bahrain
The Mercedes driver was pegged to just 0.146s by Verstappen after the first runs in Q3, suggesting there could be a tight battle. But Hamilton improved by another quarter of a second on his final run, pushing pole out of reach of his rivals to take his 98th career P1 start.
His team mate Valtteri Bottas popped up into second, the Finn at a loss to explain why he simply wasn’t a threat to Hamilton throughout the session, but he did at least ensure Mercedes lock out the front row for the fifth consecutive season in Bahrain and 75th time in the team’s history.
Red Bulls occupy the second row
Verstappen was forced to settle for third, though he can take comfort from starting on the cleaner side of the grid, the Dutchman suggesting the team’s greater focus in setting the car up was on the race, with tyre degradation expected to be crucial on Sunday evening.
He was backed up by Red Bull team mate Alex Albon, who equalled his best-ever start, in fourth. Although he was six tenths of a second off the pace of his team mate. Racing Point’s Sergio Perez popped up into fifth, having reached Q3 for the first time since 2014.
Daniel Ricciardo was slowest of all after the first runs. But he protected his tyres on a slow out lap before pumping in the sixth fastest time. He qualified in the top six for the fifth time in the last six Grands Prix. His team mate Esteban Ocon ended up seventh.
Pierre Gasly was eighth, with AlphaTauri team mate Daniil Kvyat 10th, as the Italian team reached Q3 with both cars for the second time in three races, with Lando Norris the best-placed McLaren in ninth, after his team mate Carlos Sainz suffered a mechanical problem that caused a spin and ended his qualifying early in Q2.
It was another difficult day for Ferrari. Both Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel were knocked out in Q2. Seb came one place ahead of his team mate in 11th.
Bahrain GP Qualifying Result
