Bahrain Quali: Max continues top form

Max Verstappen continues his top form and takes Pole in Bahrain quali. He will be joined by Checo on first row and Ferrari are in second row.

Mighty Max at Bahrain again

Red Bull had a very good Testing season and they were the team to beat, continuing their top form from 2022. However the practice sessions were a bit tricky with Red Bull not able to find the sweet spot. They had to make a lot of compromise coming into the Quali session. In the end Max worked his magic to put a scintillating lap in the final round of Q3 and put his car in the top position. Checo was not far behind, just lacking by 0.1s and will be on the front row with Max. He would be determined to win more races this year and compete more effectively.

Ferrari lock the second row

Ferrari seemed a bit all over the place in the testing season as well as the quali sessions. Their car seemed good but no one knew whether they will be good enough to fight Red Bull. Charles had a car part broken which brought in the red flag but otherwise it was a decent show. The Ferraris seemed to be in the front to fight the Red Bulls. They have taken a strategic bet to save a fresh tyre for the race while compromising the Quali. Charles seemed happy with the gamble. Now it is all up in the race to see whether he can take the fight to Max or not.

Carlos meanwhile did not seem comfortable with the Ferrari in the entire Quali session. He routinely went off the racing line and the rear was all over the place. Still he managed to put in a decent lap and will be starting P4 in the race. He has the hunger but needs to take his game up a notch to fight for the title.

Alonso magic in Aston Martin

The team that surprised the most in testing season was Aston Martin. From rarely making into Q3 in 2022 to fighting the Red Bulls and Ferraris in 2023, they have made a giant giant leap forward. Alonso at 41 years old looks in the prime of his racing career. He still has the hunger to fight for the podiums, win races and even the elusive 3rd championship. The gamble of switching ships from Alpine to Aston Martin seems to be paying off. It was a shocker to see Alonso topping the timing sheets in the practice sessions. In the end Alonso will be starting P5 and he has everything to go for in the race. He team-mate Lance Stroll had a nasty injury and had to go through a surgery. Still he managed to get into Q3 and will be starting P8 in the race.

Middling Mercedes

Mercedes have retained their last year’s design philosophy with size-zero sidepods. However the porposing it now gone. But will they be able to fight at the front, no one knows. They do seem to show glimmers of hope at times, topping the sheets and being at the front. But then the Red Bulls and the Ferraris step up and make Mercedes like a mid-field team. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton look in good shape but seem to be limited by their cars. They will have to pull off something special tomorrow as they will starting P6 and P7 in the race.

Alpine seems to have taken a step back with Gasly getting out in Q3 but Ocon managed P9. Similar story with McLaren as Lando pulled his under-developed McLaren to P11 but Piastri was out in Q3. Williams looks decent in the hands of Albon and even Logan was decent. Nico Hulkenburg was quite impressive with his HAAS and getting into Q3 but Magnussen was out in Q3. Alfa Romeo was in the middle of nowhere with their drivers starting P12 and P13.

Bahrain GP Starting Grid : Max on Pole, Ferraris second row