Reigning champion Max Verstappen takes pole for season opening Bahrain GP
Max Verstappen struck the first blow of the new Formula One season by securing pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The double world champion beat Sergio Perez as Red Bull locked out the front row by one tenth of a second with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz finished fourth in the other scarlet car ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. George Russell qualified sixth as Mercedes team-mate