Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) won the first pole position of the 2022 Formula 1 season, this Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, just ahead of reigning world champion, Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), second.
The second line of the grid at the Sakhir circuit went to Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) and Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), third and fourth respectively in the qualifying session, while British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was fifth.
The top three of the qualifying session were this Saturday in a margin of just 129 thousandths of a second.
Hamilton had more problems and was 680 thousandths behind Leclerc on the day's time sheet.
Irony of fate, Hamilton will start on Sunday with his former Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, who is now running for Alfa Romeo and who was sixth.
They will be followed on the grid, Danish Kevin Magnussen (Haas), who surprised to be seventh in the session on his return to F1 after a year of absence, while Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Alpine) was eighth and Mercedes's new signing, Briton George Russell, had to settle for ninth place.
In Aston Martin, the German Nico Hülkenberg replaces his compatriot Sebastian Vettel this weekend, who tested positive for covid-19, and could barely be 17th, although he was better than the other driver of the team, the Canadian Lance Stroll, who was 19th.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo, 18th, is having a difficult return for now with his McLaren, after missing the last preseason tests in Bahrain due to a covid positive.
— Bahrain GP starting grid:
1st line:
Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull)
2nd line:
Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari)
Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull)
3rd line:
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes)
Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)
4th line:
Kevin Magnussen (the/Haas-Ferrari)
Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault)
5th line:
George Russell (GBR/Mercedes)
Pierre Gasly (from/Alphatauri-Red Bull)
6th line:
Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine Renault)
Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari)
7th line:
Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)
Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes)
8th line:
Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alpha Romeo-Ferrari)
Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/Alphatauri-Red Bull)
9th line:
Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes)
Daniel Ricciardo (AU/McLaren-Mercedes)
10th line:
Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes)
Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes)
- Results of Q3 of the Bahrain GP qualifying session:
1. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:30 .558
2. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1:30 .681
3. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari) 1:30.687
4. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) 1:30 .921
5. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:31.238
6. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1:31 .560
7th Kevin Magnussen (the/Haas-Ferrari) 1:31 .808
8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1:32 .195
9. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 1:32.216
10. Pierre Gasly (from/Alphatauri-Red Bull) 1:32 .338
...
pel/dr