Max Verstappen made sure that he started this year exactly where he left off last year, as he secured his first pole position of the season in the Middle East for Red Bull.
Charles Leclerc will certainly be happy with his return as he came in second place just behind Verstappen, with George Russell’s impressive performance seeing him round off the top three for the race order tomorrow.
Carlos Sainz ensured that Ferrari started well this year, as he managed to claim fourth position to ensure that Ferrari would have both cars on the front two rows at the beginning of the race.
Sergio Perez has a big season ahead of him if he is to prove that he is the man to continue in the Red Bull next year along with Verstappen. However, a fifth-place start is not the beginning of the season he would’ve wanted, with his teammate over four-tenths of a second up the road.
Fernando Alonso secured a solid sixth-place start for Aston Martin, with the pair of McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri coming home just behind him.
Lewis Hamilton did not begin his farewell season with Mercedes in the way he would’ve wanted. He came in ninth place in what can only be described as a disappointing performance for the 39-year-old.
Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten in what was an impressive drive from the German in the Haas as the American unit under new leadership is finally attempting to be more competitive in the midfield positions.
Most Impressive Team
The most impressive team performance has to be Ferrari. After so many years of being beaten out by other teams, they look to hopefully now have a car that is going to be able to compete with Red Bull. They also have a fantastic driver lineup with Leclerc and Sainz. Leclerc will be looking to prove why he should be considered the number-one driver next season alongside Hamilton and Sainz will be keen to impress the rest of the grid to ensure that he can secure himself a seat for next season.
Worst Performing Team
There will be some serious concerns at Alpine after their performance in qualifying this afternoon. With Esteban Ocon starting 19th and Pierre Gasly starting dead last, it is far from the season opener that the team would have wanted. After Otmar Szafnauer was released from his duties and replaced by Bruno Famin as team principal, the higher-ups at Alpine are expecting an improved performance after their sixth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship. However, a weekend that begins at the back of the grid is not going to impress the team.
Driver to Watch
Despite the obvious choice of Verstappen here, it will certainly be an interesting weekend for George Russell. After a great qualifying performance, it will be intriguing to see how good this year’s Mercedes car is. Team principal Toto Wolff was adamant that he did not want to wait until 2026 and wanted to create a car that could see Lewis win his eighth and George win his first world title as soon as possible. However, with Lewis in ninth place, the chances are this is unlikely to be a car that is going to be competing with Red Bull this season. George will need to pull out a stellar drive if he is going to be competing with the Red Bull tomorrow.
The race begins at 3 pm BST tomorrow from the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain. This is certainly not a season opener that you want to miss.