Max Verstappen Wins Pole Position At Bahrain GP, Overshadowed By Charles Leclerc And George Russell

Red Bull Racing racer, Max Verstappen, won pole position in the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session, Saturday, March 2. (photo: x @f1)

JAKARTA - Red Bull Racing racer, Max Verstappen, won pole position in the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session, Saturday, March 2. He started the 2024 season successfully as he did the previous year. Behind him, Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc took second place, followed by Mercedes racer George Russell, in third place.

Verstappen, in an interview after the qualifying session, revealed that despite having difficulty with his car all weekend, he managed to improve his car's performance when needed at the qualifying session. Despite the difficulties, Verstappen was able to give his best performance in Q3, which led him to win pole position.

"Testing went very well, but the weather was very windy all weekend, and it made it a bit difficult to get the car's balance, and yes, we continued to work hard until the qualifying session. I think we managed to make some good improvements to the car, and I think it allowed us to print lap times in qualifying sessions." Max Verstappen said in a press conference session.

Meanwhile, Leclerc expressed a little disappointment with the qualification results, although admitting that he found the best point of his car during the qualifying session. He also revealed that his team made strategic decisions that might affect the final result.

"Yes, I'm a bit disappointed, but yes, we did a good qualification. I think this is a good start for this year. We are in a better position than a year ago, so that's good. Now we have to see the performance in tomorrow's race," Charles Leclerc said.

In third place, George Russell is pleased with the results of the qualification which is a big step forward for the Mercedes team. Russell also expressed optimism for his car's performance in tomorrow's race.

"Yes, of course. Everyone at the factory has done an amazing job to give Lewis and I a car that makes us feel much happier, a basis we can build. But in the end, you know, Max is still there up front. We still have to chase him. But I think when we saw the performance of our qualification over the last two years in Bahrain and also the performance of the race, starting the race from third place for tomorrow is a good position," said George Russell.

Bahrain's qualification shows the tight competition between teams and riders, with a very thin time difference between Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell. This promises an interesting race at the Bahrain Grand Prix tomorrow.

With the predicted weather conditions being better in the race, all racers are optimistic to give their best performance and present a fierce battle on the Bahrain track.