Max Verstappen will start from pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as he was the fastest in the Formula 1 qualifying session at Sepang. The Red Bull driver clocked a time of 1:35.130 to claim his first pole position of the season, ending a streak of races without a pole position.
Red Bull had already shown in free practice that it could be a threat on the Malaysian track, but Verstappen confirmed the team’s speed during the crucial moments of Q3.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The four-time world champion improved by one-tenth of a second on his final attempt, though his initial time would have been enough to secure pole position on its own.
Hamilton on the front row, penalty for Hajar
Lewis Hamilton put in a very strong final run and moved up to second place for Ferrari, with a time of 1:35.428. He was 0.298 seconds behind Verstappen, and his performance earned him a spot on the front row of the grid for the first time since the Barcelona Grand Prix, which he had won.
Isaac Hajar finished third in the second Red Bull, confirming the team’s strong performance at Sepang. The Frenchman, however, will not retain that position at the start, as he will receive a five-position grid penalty for using his seventh internal combustion engine of the season.
Hajjar’s penalty moves Andrea Kimi Antonelli up to third on the grid. The championship leader finished fourth in qualifying, about half a second behind Verstappen, on a Saturday when Mercedes failed to fully capitalize on the W17’s upgrade package.
Mercedes and McLaren
George Russell was limited to eighth place, marking Mercedes’ most difficult qualifying session of the season. The Briton, who is Antonelli’s main rival in the title race, will now start from seventh place due to Hajar’s penalty.
Charles Leclerc was fifth in the second Ferrari, ahead of the two McLarens. Lando Norris took sixth place and was once again faster than Oscar Piastri, who finished seventh. Behind Russell, Pierre Gasly brought the Alpine home in ninth place, while Gabriel Boretto rounded out the top ten for Audi.
Liam Lawson narrowly missed qualifying for Q3 and will start 11th, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who posted Aston Martin’s best qualifying result of the season. The Silverstone-based team had both of its cars advance to Q2 for the first time this season, with Lance Stroll qualifying 14th and Carlos Sainz sandwiched between the two Aston Martin drivers, in 13th place.
This Weekend’s Penalties
Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad did not set a time in Q2, as both face significant penalties due to power unit changes. Colapinto will receive a 15-position grid penalty, while Lindblad will start from the back of the grid after installing a completely new component package.
In Q1, a mistake in the penultimate corner cost Nico Hülkenberg and Alex Albon. The Audi driver finished 17th, ahead of the two Haas cars driven by Oliver Berman and Esteban Ocon, while Albon was limited to 20th place. Valtteri Bottas was faster than Sergio Pérez, with the two Cadillacs bringing up the rear of the standings.
The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang will begin on Sunday, October 4, at 10:00 a.m. Cyprus time and will consist of 56 laps.
The results
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
Can't wait for Sunday!
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*photo source: AP
