Red Bull secure Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying lockout as champion Max Verstappen claims pole position

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull 1-2 in Saturday’s qualifying at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. FP3 had ended with 41-year-old Spanish former world champion Fernando Alonso as the fastest on track so far, with questions remaining over the sustainability of his pace.

Ad Behind him was current title holder Verstappen alongside team-mate Sergio Perez of Red Bull, with Lewis Hamilton in behind hoping to lead a reinvigorated challenge after a disappointing 2022 with Mercedes. Bahrain Grand PrixAlonso pips Red Bulls in second practice in BahrainA DAY AGO Toto Wolff, the German marque's team principal, promised a side pod change to come this season, but he and Hamilton were far from bullish.

Last season’s closest challenger, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, lost part of his wheel arch early in Q1 which meant the first qualifying red flag of the season after just six minutes. Three of the season’s new drivers were cut at the end of the first session, as Logan Sargeant (Williams), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Nyck de Vries (Alpha Tauri) were joined by Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).

Alonso pips Red Bulls in second practice in Bahrain 'Fernando looks on fire!' — Horner reactions to blistering Alonso and Aston Martin Pace 'Red Bull in a league of their own' — Russell and Hamilton admit Mercedes are behind Piastri arrived in the summer an in-demand driver, but his team acknowledged at the car’s unveiling that they had not met their desired targets. The pace stepped up a gear in Q2, with the Red Bull pair looking dominant, and this time both the Alfa Romeos — the unchanged pairing of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas — plus Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) and Williams’ Alex Albon went out.