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Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates in the parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 27, 2021 in Bahrain, Bahrain.
• Max Verstappen maintained his dominance until the end and secured the first pole of the season.
• The Red Bull driver was fastest in all sessions leading up to the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
• Lewis Hamilton starts the race alongside him in the front row at P2.
• For more racing stories, go to Wheels24.
Max Verstappen maintained the momentum he gained in the preseason by claiming the first pole position of the campaign ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Red Bull scoffed at a possible title challenge in testing, the fastest of all at the Sakhir circuit. The question was whether Mercedes was overwhelmed by sandbags.
The answer to that is a simple yes, as, deep down, Hamilton challenged Verstappen in qualifying on Saturday night.
Are you excited about the 2021 F1 season as it seems that Mercedes is no longer the dominant team? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
MAX: “We had a great test week, but there is no guarantee it will translate into race weekends. The car has worked very well and of course I am happy with pole position.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. We need to get off to a clean start and start from there.”#BahrainGP ???? # F1 pic.twitter.com/jmaErzQS2B
– Formula 1 (@ F1) March 27, 2021
In the end, however, it was the Dutchman who secured the coveted grid spot ahead of seven-time world champion and Valtteri Bottas.
The first qualifying session of the season started under lights at the Sakhir circuit with the track temperature at 34 ° C and, problematic for the drivers, gusts of wind.
Nikita Mazepin was the first to fail in conditions when he lost it at Turn 13, his third lap of the weekend. He later raised the yellow flags as he turned again, for the fourth time, at Turn 1 of his last fastest lap.
There were also problems for Verstappen. Although it was P1, the Red Bull driver was soon on the radio asking his team to check his floor because it was wide at Turn 2 over the curbs.
LEWIS: “Congratulations to Max, so fast on that last lap!
“I absolutely gave everything I had, but unfortunately it wasn’t good enough. There’s always more, but it was the best I could do, I got everything I could from the car.”#BahrainGP ???? # F1 pic.twitter.com/NWFlQT94Ip
– Formula 1 (@ F1) March 27, 2021
Despite not venturing out again, Verstappen finished P1 ahead of AlphaTauri’s rookie Yuki Tsunoda and Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz was another who had a moment on the curbs with his Ferrari cutting on his last fast lap. He was able to restart the car and return to the pits with his previous best level good enough to slip into Q2.
Those who did not make it; Esteban Ocon, Nicholas Latifi, Sebastian Vettel, Mick Schumacher and Mazepin.
Vettel said: “There was potential to be much faster. We had the yellow flag problem during the lap, which made it impossible to return.”
The tire stakes and strategy came into play in Q2 with Red Bulls, Mercedes drivers, AlphaTauris and the McLaren pair coming out in the middle Pirellis. The rest of the top 15 opted for the soft ones.
Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo had their early gambit times cut off for running wide at Turn 4. Ricciardo succeeded, while Red Bull’s decision to send Perez back with a new set of media failed. The Red Bull newcomer failed to make it out of Q2 and finished 11th fastest.
He retired along with Antonio Giovinazzi, Tsunoda, Kimi Raikkonen and George Russell.
.@alo_oficial He said he was confidently fighting behind the Alpine. “I’m happy with the ninth!” Alonso said. “I came into qualifying with some confidence, but in a way it was better than expected. I will be happy if I score points. The Top 10 is possible!” # F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/JHg1B1P3LJ
– Peter Leung (@BaronVonClutch) March 27, 2021
Sainz led Q2 with 1: 30.009, 0.001s ahead of Leclerc, Ferrari teammates had run on soft tires. It was also the first session of the weekend in which Hamilton beat Verstappen.
Soft tires were the order of the session for Q3, where it was all about raw pace: who’s got it, who’s not.
Verstappen and Hamilton had it, the two leads immediately jumped to first and second, 0.023s apart.
Behind them, Pierre Gasly lined up third, but almost half a second down, while Valtteri Bottas was fourth. Lance Paseo, Leclerc and Fernando Alonso did not set times in the first race.
Both Mercedes drivers improved on their second laps, but it was not enough for Bottas, P3, as Hamilton was the fastest of all. Verstappen still had to cross the line …
He posted a 1: 28.997 to take pole for 0.388s with Hamilton joining him on the front row of the grid. Bottas and Leclerc will form the second row ahead of Gasly and Ricciardo.
Norris, Sainz, Alonso and Stroll completed the top ten.
Times
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1: 28.997
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1: 29.385
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1: 29.586
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1: 29.678
5 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1: 29.809
6 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1: 29.927
7 Lando Norris McLaren 1: 29.974
8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1: 30.215
10 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1: 30.249
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1: 30.601
11 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1: 30.659
12 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing 1: 30.708
13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1: 31.203
14 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing 1: 31.238
15 George Russell Williams 1: 33.430
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1: 31.724
17 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1: 31.936
18 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1: 32.056
19 Mick Schumacher Haas 1: 32.449
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas 1: 33.273
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