Max ‘always knew’ Ferrari would be in hunt for pole

Despite having looked like he had the fastest car in practice, Max Verstappen said he was well aware of the pace Ferrari would bring to qualifying in Bahrain.

Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were consistently close to the front in all three practice sessions, but the combination of Red Bull and Verstappen looked to be an imposing force heading int0 Saturday’s running.

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But it was a session-long fight between the two teams and Leclerc eventually came out on top in an enthralling qualifying session, with the top three separated by only 0.129s around Sakhir.

#F1 just feels better when Ferrari are fighting at the front, doesn't it? #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/O3XV2vYjND

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) March 19, 2022

This sets up what is likely to be a fascinating race on Sunday, and the World Champion said his car has looked solid in race trim during his practice running – adding a layer of intrigue to the 2022 season opener.

“I always knew it would be close and it’s about the tiny details you need in qualifying to really put the lap together,” Verstappen said on Sky Sports F1 after qualifying when asked if Ferrari had surprised him.

“It seemed like it was going away from us a little bit in Q3 when I just couldn’t find the right balance, front to rear.

“But overall, I think we still did a