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Bahrain GP: Ferrari's Charles Leclerc grabs stunning pole

The Monagasgue racing driver was fastest in Q1 and stole the show in the pole podium ceremony graced by FIA chief Mohammed ben Sulayem.

Charles Lecrec

Bengaluru/Sakhir, March 19: Ferrari's Charles Leclerc grabbed the first pole position of the 2022 Formula 1 (F1) FIA World Championship, ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, in a qualifying session that went down to the wire at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain on Saturday (March 19) night.

The Monagasgue racing driver was fastest in Q1 and stole the show in the pole podium ceremony graced by FIA chief Mohammed ben Sulayem.

"It feels good. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team," Leclerc said afterwards, referencing Ferrari's consistent underachievement in recent years.

Max vs Lewis again, midfield challengers emerge as new era begins – F1 narratives for 2022Max vs Lewis again, midfield challengers emerge as new era begins – F1 narratives for 2022

"We were quite hopeful that this new opportunity for us was an opportunity to be back in the front and I think we have worked extremely well as a team to find ourselves again in a position to fight for better places."

"I wasn't completely happy with my driving but managed to do that lap in Q3."

Asked if there is more he and the team can do, Leclerc replied: "Of course there is, also from the driving point it's completely different compared to last year. There's definitely much more to come hopefully from us.

"We were pretty sure that Red Bull was going to be quicker than us in qualifying, a little surprised that wasn't the case.

"I will still stay cautious. The pace is there, but the race is long and we need to stay on it."

Red Bull's Verstappen hit back in Q2, making it to the top-10 shootout in one take.

Max vs Lewis again, midfield challengers emerge as new era begins – F1 narratives for 2022Max vs Lewis again, midfield challengers emerge as new era begins – F1 narratives for 2022

Describing his performance, Verstappen said: "I think it was a bit hit and miss. Q2 seemed quite good but Q3 it was more of a struggle to get the balance together.

"We have a good race car, which at the end of the day is the most important.

"Here you want to be good in qualifying of course but you also really want to make sure your car is working for the race, because the tyres are really struggling a lot more there and it's a bit different to some other tracks."

Sainz, son of rally legend Caros Sainz, expressed satisfaction despite missing out on pole position.

"I'm quite happy with the progress I've made throughout the weekend," he said. "To be even fighting for the pole position was good news for me.

"Charles has been ahead the whole weekend and he deserves the pole position."

Lewis Hamilton took fifth while his former team-mate Valtteri Bottas made it to a surprise sixth on the grid for Alfa Romeo.

The lights will go off for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir circuit on Sunday (March 20) at 6pm local time (8.30pm IST). The Indian audience can catch all the action live on Star Sports Network channels.

TOP 10 ON THE GRID

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:30.558

2. Mex Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.123s 3.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.129s

4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.363s

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.680s

6. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +1.002s

7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1.250s

8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +1.637s

9. George Russell (Mercedes) +1.658s

10. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) +1.780s

Story first published: Saturday, March 19, 2022, 23:03 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 19, 2022