Bahrain - Qualifying

 After a long wait, F1 is officially back with the first qualifying session of the new season! This one, preceded by three practice sessions that didn't lack in surprises, brought all the excitement fans could ever hope for. The fight for pole position was tighter than ever and some unexpected shuffles could be seen as Q2 transitioned into Q3. One thing is sure; Bahrain didn't disappoint. 

Q1 began with Ferrari and Alpine bolting on their medium tires and driving out before the track could get crowded. All but one of the four drivers managed to put a lap time on board; Gasly's was deleted for exceeding track records. The rest of the grid joined pretty soon. Alpine struggled significantly since the very beginning with neither Gasly or Ocon able to climb out from the dreaded drop zone. They ended up at P19 and P20. The day also ended early for Bottas, Zhou, and Sargeant. Both Haas cars managed to secure a spot in the second part of qualifying. The first session ended with Russel noted by the stewards, however, it was later decided that further investigation wasn't needed.

Q2 saw an agitated Charles Leclerc questioning the other drivers. Even with all his annoyances, the Monegasque ended the fifteen minutes with the best time of the day (1:29:165). It was quicker than the time that ensured tomorrow's pole sitter the coveted position. While Haas had their moments of doubt when Magnussen got one of his lap times deleted for exceeding track limits, they continued to surprise the viewers with Hulkenberg securing a place in the third phase of qualifying. By the end of the session Tsunoda, Stroll, Albon, Ricciardo, and Magnussen ended up being too slow for the top ten. 

Q3 was tight as ever as all the drivers seemed determined to start the season off with a bang. Max Verstappen put in a few superb laps and secured the pole position with a time of 1:29:179. He was followed by Charles Leclerc and George Russel. Surprisingly enough, after his stellar performance in the second practice session, Hamilton struggled on track. He didn't manage to climb higher than to the 9th place, with only Hulkenberg behind him. Sainz and Perez tried to match their teammates' times but failed to do so, finishing at P4 and P5, respectively. Alonso secured P6 for Aston Martin and the McLaren boys followed him at P7 and P8, with Norris achieving a slightly better result than Piastri. The top five times were incredibly close, separated by less than half a second. 

Once again, we will go into the race with Verstappen at the very front of the field. While it might seem like a repeat of last season, it doesn't mean that tomorrow's top podium spot is already set in stone. With the cars so close together, all will come down to the race pace of the drivers. Let the fight for the first trophy of the 2024 season begin. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Charles Leclerc

3. George Russel

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Sergio Perez

6. Fernando Alonso

7. Lando Norris

8. Oscar Piastri

9. Lewis Hamilton

10. Nico Hulkenberg

11. Yuki Tsunoda

12. Lance Stroll

13. Alex Albon

14. Daniel Ricciardo

15. Kevin Magnussen

16. Valtteri Bottas

17. Zhou Guanyu

18. Logan Sargeant

19. Esteban Ocon 

20. Pierre Gasly