Formula 1
MAX DENIES MERCEDES (SANDBAGGING) AMG POLE POSITION IN BAHRAIN.
Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Sunday’s first round of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season ahead of the two Mercedes at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
The Dutchman clocked a best time of 1:28.997 in Q3 to put reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton into second – +0.388s behind – with new Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez finishing in 11th place.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly excelled in Saturday qualifying as well to start fifth on the grid with rookie Scuderia AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda of Japan starting 13th on his F1 debut.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 27: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and The Netherlands during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 27, 2021 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202103270371 // Usage for editorial use only //
MAX VERSTAPPEN, Position: 1st, 1:28.997 (Practice 3 – P1, 1:30.577)
“It’s a great feeling to be on pole and I haven’t experienced a season start like this. After the victory in Abu Dhabi the whole Team has been pushing really hard and even more motivated. There is still no guarantee for the rest of the year but everyone here and back at the factory have done a great job to give me a car like this and they should be very proud. Honda have also been working very hard this winter, just like every year. They are flat out all of the time and like us they just want to win. It is really enjoyable working with them and they are very passionate which I like, so a big credit to Honda for the result today as they have had a great winter. After testing it is always difficult to know where you are and we really didn’t know how it would be in qualifying but when you have a lap like that in Q3 and such a good feeling in the car you can be happy. We have to finish it off tomorrow but if I can have a good start I’m confident we can do a good job.”
Pierre Gasly (AT02-05, Car 10)
Third Practice Session – Best lap: 1:31.583, pos. 3rd, 13 laps
Qualifying – Best lap: (Q1) 1: 30.848, (Q2) 1:30.513, (Q3) 1:29.809, pos. 5th
“I’m really pleased with my performance today, it’s one of my best Qualifying positions I’ve had with the team. For the first race of the year it’s important for us to show some good potential for the season ahead and I think we’ve managed to do that today. Only using the medium tyre in Q2 was a huge risk, but we managed to make it work, and hopefully we can use this to our advantage tomorrow in the race. I’ll try to make the most of the position we’re starting from on the grid– I think there’s clearly an opportunity for us and I will do everything possible to get as many points as I can for the team.”