Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing secured his first pole position of the season during the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia on Saturday. He will be joined on the front row by Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari, marking the first instance since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix that these two fierce competitors have shared the top starting spots.
Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, recorded the third-fastest time but will start from the eighth position due to a grid penalty. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will begin the race in third position alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri narrowly missed out on sixth place to his teammate Lando Norris; however, he will advance to the sixth starting position due to Hadjar’s penalty, allowing McLaren to occupy the third row completely.
Last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner will start in seventh, presenting a concerning situation for Mercedes, which arrived in Malaysia with a significant upgrade package. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed his frustration, stating, “It’s very difficult to understand. We were caught off guard on Friday with some car behavior we hadn’t seen all year.” He added that the extreme heat and differing track conditions may have contributed to their struggles.
Verstappen, who last triumphed in Malaysia in 2017, demonstrated his continued dominance by achieving a time of 1 minute 35.130 seconds. “It’s fantastic; we’ve been trying for several Grands Prix to improve and to finally get it from where we started the season is incredible,” he commented, looking forward to clinching his first win of the season.
Hamilton, a previous winner in Sepang, encountered challenges with tire degradation during practice but managed to secure second place from Hadjar in the final moments of qualifying. “The heat here is intense, making it a significant challenge for the tires, the car, and our mechanics,” Hamilton noted. He added that multiple adjustments were made throughout practice sessions to address the car’s sliding and tire overheating issues, and a final change prior to qualifying proved effective.
Hadjar faced a five-place grid penalty after exceeding his engine allocation for the season, expressing disappointment over the timing of the penalty. “It’s unfortunate to take the penalty on such a fast track, but I’m confident we can navigate through the field from P8 and achieve a good result,” he stated.
