F1 qualifying

Ferrari Formula 1's Charles Leclerc says he was surprised to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying after beating the world ...

Tyre management will be important, especially with this increased weight this year, so we need to focus on that and hopefully have a good race tomorrow." "From the driving point, it's completely different compared to last year. I tried many different driving styles and still need to find the perfect one.

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc took pole position for the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, beating reigning champion Max Verstappen to the top spot as the ...

Sainz slipped to third, ahead of Perez, Hamilton, Bottas, Magnussen (who stopped at Turn 1 after completing his lap), Alonso, Russell and Gasly. On the first runs, Sainz set the bar at 1m30.687s, 0.044s faster than Leclerc. Verstappen was 0.012s off a front row spot in third, complaining about tyre temperature and out-lap speed, while Perez was fourth ahead of Hamilton and Russell – the Mercedes duo both setting their times on used softs. Only the top three cars and the Mercedes duo didn’t run again on a second set of soft tyres, with Magnussen jumping up to fifth ahead of Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Lando Norris (McLaren), pushing the Mercedes back to the lower reaches of the top 10. Kevin Magnussen grabbed an early second for Haas before Valtteri Bottas snatched it away for Alfa Romeo, just 0.01s off Verstappen. Verstappen dived straight into the 1m30s bracket, with a 1m30.757s that was six tenths clear of Leclerc and Perez. Magnussen was fourth fastest after the opening runs, despite suffering a hydraulic issue with his power steering, ahead of Hamilton and Russell. Ferrari then took control, with Leclerc taking the top spot on 1m31.471s, 0.096s quicker than team-mate Sainz. Hamilton claimed fifth for Mercedes at this point, eight tenths off the pace, while Russell beat him on a second push lap on his first set of tyres.

Full standings after Saturday's qualifying and what to expect on Sunday as the new F1 season gets underway.

“You want to be good in qualifying but make sure the car is working in the race, and it’s a bit different to some other tracks.” Fernando Alonso, eighth for Alpine, and Pierre Gasly, 10th in the AlphaTauri, make up the top 10 to ensure a tight battle should the Ferraris and Red Bulls disappear as expected. There are no other available mechanisms in the rules for amending the race classification.” Alfa Romeo and Haas were the big winners in midfield. McLaren, of whom so much was expected when Lando Norris lit up the first test in Barcelona, are heading in the opposite direction. The radical rule changes introduced this year have catapulted the red car back into the vanguard of the sport, providing Leclerc and Carlos Sainz with an opportunity to challenge for the world title. After all he set off from pole in this race a year ago and saw Hamilton take the chequered flag. “The last two years have been difficult for the team. “It has been a bit of a nightmare to drive,” he said. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained before qualifying the extent of the problems. Charles Leclerc starts the season-opening 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix on the front row ahead of defending world champion Max Verstappen. The following year they sank to sixth in the constructors’ championship with just three podium finishes, their worst return in 40 years.