F1 Bahrain GP qualifying results: Leclerc heads Verstappen, Sainz

Leclerc pipped Red Bull driver Verstappen by 0.123s in the third and final segment of the one-hour qualifying session, in which five cars are knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the Q3 top-10 shootout.

They will share the front row as Leclerc scored Ferrari's first pole since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz Jr was third-fastest in the second Ferrari, leading Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, while Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could only muster the fifth and ninth-fastest times.

Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying results: Leclerc on pole from Verstappen

Cla	Driver		Time	Gap	km/h
1	Charles Leclerc		1'30.558		215.146
2	Max Verstappen		1'30.681	0.123	214.854
3	Carlos Sainz Jr		1'30.687	0.129	214.840
4	Sergio Perez		1'30.921	0.363	214.287
5	Lewis Hamilton		1'31.238	0.680	213.542
6	Valtteri Bottas		1'31.560	1.002	212.791
7	Kevin Magnussen		1'31.808	1.250	212.216
8	Fernando Alonso		1'32.195	1.637	211.325
9	George Russell		1'32.216	1.658	211.277
10	Pierre Gasly		1'32.338	1.780	210.998
11	Esteban Ocon		1'31.782	1.224	212.276
12	Mick Schumacher		1'31.998	1.440	211.778
13	Lando Norris		1'32.008	1.450	211.755
14	Alex Albon		1'32.664	2.106	210.256
15	Guanyu Zhou		1'33.543	2.985	208.280
16	Yuki Tsunoda		1'32.750	2.192	210.061
17	Nico Hulkenberg		1'32.777	2.219	210.000
18	Daniel Ricciardo		1'32.945	2.387	209.620
19	Lance Stroll		1'33.032	2.474	209.424
20	Nicholas Latifi		1'33.634	3.076	208.078
View full results

What happened in Q1?

Verstappen set the early bar in Q1 by lapping in 1m31.909s, 0.474s faster than his team-mate Perez, who ran wide at the final corner having beaten the Dutchman’s middle sector time. Kevin Magnussen grabbed an early second for Haas before Valtteri Bottas snatched it away for Alfa Romeo, just 0.01s off Verstappen.

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.

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.

Falling at the first hurdle were Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Nico Hulkenberg (subbing for Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams).

Bahrain Grand Prix Q1 results: Leclerc fastest from Sainz

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	km/h
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	3	1'31.471			212.998
2	Carlos Sainz Jr	Ferrari	3	1'31.567	0.096	0.096	212.775
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	5	1'31.785	0.314	0.218	212.269
4	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	6	1'31.919	0.448	0.134	211.960
5	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	6	1'31.955	0.484	0.036	211.877
6	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	6	1'32.041	0.570	0.086	211.679
7	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	9	1'32.096	0.625	0.055	211.553
8	Lando Norris	McLaren	8	1'32.239	0.768	0.143	211.225
9	George Russell	Mercedes	5	1'32.269	0.798	0.030	211.156
10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	5	1'32.285	0.814	0.016	211.119
11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	6	1'32.311	0.840	0.026	211.060
12	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	5	1'32.346	0.875	0.035	210.980
13	Mick Schumacher	Haas	6	1'32.380	0.909	0.034	210.902
14	Guanyu Zhou	Alfa Romeo	6	1'32.493	1.022	0.113	210.645
15	Alex Albon	Williams	8	1'32.726	1.255	0.233	210.115
16	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	8	1'32.750	1.279	0.024	210.061
17	Nico Hulkenberg	Aston Martin	6	1'32.777	1.306	0.027	210.000
18	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	8	1'32.945	1.474	0.168	209.620
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	6	1'33.032	1.561	0.087	209.424
20	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	8	1'33.634	2.163	0.602	208.078
View full results

What happened in Q2?

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.

Sainz then improved to second, 0.030s off Verstappen, on his new-tyre run with Leclerc 0.175s off the fastest time in third. Perez was fourth, ahead of Hamilton, Russell, Magnussen, Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Gasly and Bottas.

Knocked out at this point were Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Mick Schumacher (Haas), Norris, Alex Albon (Williams) and Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), the latter losing his best time due to exceeding track limits.

Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix Q2 results: Verstappen fastest from Sainz

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	km/h
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	3	1'30.757			214.674
2	Carlos Sainz Jr	Ferrari	6	1'30.787	0.030	0.030	214.603
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	6	1'30.932	0.175	0.145	214.261
4	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	6	1'31.008	0.251	0.076	214.082
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	6	1'31.048	0.291	0.040	213.988
6	George Russell	Mercedes	6	1'31.252	0.495	0.204	213.509
7	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	3	1'31.461	0.704	0.209	213.021
8	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	6	1'31.621	0.864	0.160	212.649
9	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	6	1'31.635	0.878	0.014	212.617
10	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	6	1'31.717	0.960	0.082	212.427
11	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	6	1'31.782	1.025	0.065	212.276
12	Mick Schumacher	Haas	5	1'31.998	1.241	0.216	211.778
13	Lando Norris	McLaren	6	1'32.008	1.251	0.010	211.755
14	Alex Albon	Williams	5	1'32.664	1.907	0.656	210.256
15	Guanyu Zhou	Alfa Romeo	6	1'33.543	2.786	0.879	208.280
View full results

What happened in Q3?

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.

On the final runs, Leclerc took pole with 1m30.558s while Verstappen ended up second, 0.123s slower. Sainz slipped to third, ahead of Perez, Hamilton, Bottas, Magnussen (who stopped at Turn 1 after completing his lap), Alonso, Russell and Gasly.

Bahrain Grand Prix Q3 results: Leclerc takes pole

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	km/h
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	6	1'30.558			215.146
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	6	1'30.681	0.123	0.123	214.854
3	Carlos Sainz Jr	Ferrari	6	1'30.687	0.129	0.006	214.840
4	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	6	1'30.921	0.363	0.234	214.287
5	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	6	1'31.238	0.680	0.317	213.542
6	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	3	1'31.560	1.002	0.322	212.791
7	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	3	1'31.808	1.250	0.248	212.216
8	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	3	1'32.195	1.637	0.387	211.325
9	George Russell	Mercedes	6	1'32.216	1.658	0.021	211.277
10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	6	1'32.338	1.780	0.122	210.998
View full results