F1 Sakhir GP Live Updates - final practice and qualifying | Live text

By: Jake Boxall-Legge

Summary


	Bottas takes pole position for the Sakhir GP, just 0.026s ahead of team-mate Russell on his Mercedes debut
	Verstappen takes third, with Leclerc and Perez completing the top five
	Drivers eliminated from Q2: Ocon, Albon, Vettel, Giovinazzi and Norris
	Drivers eliminated from Q1: Magnussen, Latifi, Aitken, Raikkonen and Fittipaldi

Status: Stopped

21:21 That'll be all from us on Autosport Live tonight, but make sure to keep an eye on Autosport.com for all the reaction from Sakhir GP qualifying and of course. We'll be back tomorrow before the race from around 4:40 UK time - until then, have a pleasant evening. Goodnight!

21:19 Here's the full wrap-up from qualifying, as George Russell narrowly missed out on pole to Valtteri Bottas:

F1 Sakhir GP: Russell edges Russell for pole position

Valtteri Bottas beat George Russell in qualifying for the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, but only by 0.026s as Mercedes' temporary Formula 1 line-up battled for pole

21:18

21:12 Well, that was certainly an interesting qualifying session. A few obvious candidates spring to mind, but who was your star performer?

21:09

21:06 Kvyat will be delighted with sixth after a scruffy race last week ruined by that contact with Stroll. He just shades Ricciardo and Sainz, while Gasly and Stroll round out the top 10.

21:05 Behind Verstappen, Leclerc held on for a remarkable fourth, which equals his best grid position of the year from the British, Eifel and Portuguese GPs. Still an excellent effort to be so close to the Mercedes and almost two tenths up on Perez in fifth.

21:03 That said, you can expect Russell won't be especially delighted that his 100% qualifying record over his team-mate is now over. Chin up George, there's always Sunday...

21:02 That was a hugely significant test to Bottas's mettle, and he's come through unscathed - but Russell came closer than anyone might have expected him to. A superb debut qualifying performance in a Mercedes.

21:01 Verstappen also improves, just 0.056s off Bottas, but it's not enough to move onto the front row. It's a Mercedes 1-2, by the narrowest of margins!

21:01 Russell improves on a 53.403s but it's not enough to leapfrog his team-mate, just 0.026s between them!

21:00 Bottas goes out first for the final timed lap ahead of Russell, so the Brit will get a tow. Will it help him to score a remarkable first F1 pole?

20:59 Now here comes Verstappen, and the two Mercs. Leclerc is out of his car, so presumably is taking no further part in the session.

20:58 As it stands, Bottas would be on course for his 16th F1 pole - four years after scoring his maiden F1 pole in Bahrain in 2017. That would put him level with Stirling Moss - which is a stat you probably didn't expect to be reading today.

20:57 And now we wait to see whether Max Verstappen can respond. The Merc pair were the only cars on-track for that run - they have the luxury of being able to respond should they need to.

20:56 It's a Mercedes 1-2 currently, but not as we know it...

20:55 That's provisional pole for Bottas - a 53.377s puts him to top spot, as Russell moves into second on a 53.519s.

20:54 After a change of tyres, the Mercedes pair return to the track. Can Bottas dislodge Verstappen from pole?

20:53 Now here comes Perez, who splits the two Mercedes and moves into fourth on a 53.798s.

20:52 Verstappen's time is a 53.591s, with Leclerc threatening to score Ferrari's first front-row start of the year on a 53.613s.

20:51 Russell posts a 53.972s, but it's only good enough for fourth as Verstappen goes quickest ahead of - wait for it - Leclerc!

20:50 Can Russell continue his 36-race unbroken run of outqualifying his team-mate? He'll have a stern test up against Bottas, who posts an early benchmark of 53.760s.

20:49 Straight out of the pits come the two Mercedes men, Verstappen, Leclerc, Ricciardo and Gasly.

20:48 Right, here we go then - time for Q3.

20:48 And, we should note, this is George Russell's first Q3 appearance. Perhaps not the song and dance it would be in a Williams, but he's done absolutely what has been expected of him in slotting in with the minimum of fuss.

20:47 Indeed, as Mark Gallagher points out on Twitter, there was but 0.001s between Sainz and Russell in fourth and fifth in Q3. But given the tyre offset of soft to medium, we can safely expect that to be reversed in Q3.

20:46

20:45 So here's the run-down of the Q2 order: Verstappen fastest from Perez, Bottas (medium), Sainz and Russell (medium), then Leclerc, Stroll, Kvyat, Ricciardo and Gasly.

20:44 Confirmation then that the Mercedes pair were the only ones to make it through to Q3 on the medium, which should give them a strategic advantage tomorrow - if a modicum slower off the line than their soft-tyred counterparts.

20:43 What a difference one week makes for Albon - from a podium last week, he's missed the cut for Q3 and will have it all to do from P12 tomorrow.

20:42 Norris had another crack and looked set to improve, but aborted his lap once again - a massive disappointment for the young Brit, who is knocked out in P15 along with Giovinazzi, Vettel, Albon and Ocon - who narrowly misses out on a place in Q3 to Gasly.

20:41 Verstappen improves to go fastest on a 53.647s, but what about the lower reaches of the top 10?

20:40 Oh dear, Norris has to back out of his flyer and it looks like he won't make it through.

20:40 It looks like everyone has gone for softs, apart from the two Mercedes.

20:39 And now everybody follows the pied piper (erm, Norris) out of the lane. Things are about to get busy.

20:37 Norris kicks off the final runs - he's in 14th so has nothing to lose by giving it everything here.

20:37 Bottas (P2), Russell (P4), Leclerc (P6), Verstappen (P7) and Ricciardo (P10) are currently in the top 10 on mediums - will they feel the need to go again on softs?

20:35 The Ferraris are persisting with the medium tyres and it pays dividends for Leclerc, who vaults up to sixth, knocking Ocon out. Vettel is marooned down in 13th.