Verstappen ends pole wait at Bahrain GP in Malaysia but Russell risks losing more ground
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton starts second on the front row
TL;DR
- Max Verstappen took pole position for Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
- Lewis Hamilton qualified second for Ferrari, three-tenths of a second behind Verstappen.
- Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, while his Mercedes teammate George Russell could only manage eighth.
- Isack Hadjar qualified third but has a grid penalty, promoting Antonelli to third and Russell to seventh.
- Verstappen expressed happiness with his first pole of the season, crediting his team's development.
- Russell's performance was disappointing, especially after recent gains in the championship.
- Mercedes upgrades did not yield the expected results for Russell.
- Antonelli made an unforced error in Q2, impacting his tyre strategy for Q3.
- The Bahrain GP is being held in Malaysia due to a cancellation earlier in the year.