Verstappen on pole for Bahrain’s 20th anniversary F1 race

Verstappen on pole for Bahrain’s 20th anniversary F1 race

Max Verstappen stormed to an historic pole position this evening for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024—the Kingdom’s 20th anniversary race at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
The three-time defending world champion captured the leading grid position for Red Bull after topping an exciting qualifying held in chilly conditions under the bright floodlights of “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

Verstappen will be in front of the 20-car F1 field as the grand prix is held for the very first time on a Saturday night, making for an additional spectacle in celebrating “20 Years of a Modern Classic” in Bahrain.

Verstappen took pole for F1’s season-opening event with a fastest lap time of one minute 29.179 seconds in a hotly contested Q3. It was the 33rd pole of his career, and he has now started the season the way he finished his record-breaking 2023.

The Dutchman beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1:29.407) by just over two-tenths of a second, while Mercedes’ George Russell (1:29.485) qualified third just over three-tenths behind.

Carlos Sainz (1:29.507) will start from fourth in Ferrari’s second contender, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1:29.537) will be fifth on the grid. Others starting in the top 10 and also competing in Q3 this evening are Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (1:29.542) in sixth, McLaren’s Lando Norris (1:29.614) in seventh, teammate Oscar Piastri (1:29.683) in eighth, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1:29.710) in ninth, and Nico Hulkenberg (1:30.502) for Haas in 10th.