Bahrain GP Starting Grid: Ferrari & Red Bull Lead a Fascinating Pack for Today’s F1 Race

The qualifying session of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain served as a treat to the fans. Excitement, surprises, and shocks were the theme for yesterday ahead of the first race of the season. From the beginning of the preseason, there was a feeling in the air that Ferrari was back at the front of Formula One. And they’ve proved it. The team will compete with Red Bull for the victory in the Bahrain GP.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ attempts to recapture their glory struggled after a poor qualifying. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell expected the car to compete with the top two but in vain. However, they will remain hopeful of turning their fortunes around in the coming races.

And to the surprise category, we have got Alfa Romeo and Haas. Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen showed their worth with outstanding performances. The Haas achieved its first Q3 session by finishing P7, whereas Bottas split the Mercedes as he ended in P6.

Ferrari and Red Bull, to battle it out?

Charles Leclerc secured his 10th career pole as the Ferrari looks to be in a sweet spot. His teammate Carlos Sainz had some issues with the car but finished P3. Overall, Ferrari would have been happy with the results as they will look to start the season on the front foot.

The Monegasque driver feels confident about Ferrari’s prospects this year. He said, “It feels good. The last two years have been incredibly difficult. We hoped this would be a season where we would be back at the front so I am very happy with today.”

On the other side is Max Verstappen, splitting the Ferraris. The reigning champion had an impressive lap coming into Q3, but could only end up behind Leclerc. Red Bull also looks powerful going into the season by adding new upgrades towards the end of the Bahrain testing.

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Verstappen is also happy with Red Bull’s performance in the qualifying session. He stated, “It was alright. We have a good race car, which at the end of the day is the most important thing, and it is a good start.” He will look for a strong start to the race and take the lead on Sunday.” the Dutchman explained.

Mercedes will look to bounce back

Meanwhile, Mercedes endured a poor start. George Russell, in particular, struggled for pace and was lowly placed at P9. Lewis Hamilton finished P5, but he would have expected more from the side-podless W13. However, the Grand Prix is only half done and they will look to bounce back on race day.

Valtteri Bottas at P6, Magnussen at P7, Alonso at P8 finished ahead of George Russell and Pierre Gasly. They will act as the chasing packs during the race and will hope for a solid start to finish in the points. At the same time, McLaren had a torrid evening as both the drivers did not qualify for Q3. They will hope to steer clear and take some points home today.

In what promises to be an exciting grid, the fans will look for enticing battles and never-ending drama on Sunday. Will the Ferraris come out on top, or will Verstappen start the season with a bang, is the question that looms over everyone’s mind.

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