Charles Leclerc and Ferrari explain why they sacrificed their final run of qualifying to focus on fighting Max Verstappen in the Bahrain GP; watch Sunday's race live at 3pm on Sky Sports F1, with build-up from 1.30pm
Sunday 5 March 2023 09:17, UK
Max Verstappen said he was shocked to overhaul Red Bull's rivals and take the first pole of the Formula 1 season, after Charles Leclerc and Ferrari sacrificed their chances to prioritise Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Red Bull had been off the boil heading into Saturday's qualifying, and the Dutchman and team-mate Sergio Perez were only seventh and 10th in the opening segment, before unleashing speed in the decisive Q3 to lock out the front row, just as their pre-season testing form suggested.
"I was actually positively surprised to be on pole after the struggles I had in practice," said Verstappen, who beat Perez by a tenth of a second.
"The car wasn't to my liking. We did put the best car together for the weekend in qualifying but I still think we have room for improvement."
Red Bull's one-two was only possible after Leclerc and Ferrari surprisingly exited the main qualifying stage early.
Leclerc was just a tenth off Verstappen through the first runs of Q3 but then, in a rare move, exited the Ferrari car before the second runs took place despite having a fresh set of soft tyres available.
"There wasn't any issue," said Leclerc. "I don't know if I would have been in pole or not but it would have been close.
"This is the choice in our best interest."
A Ferrari spokesperson confirmed shortly after qualifying that the Leclerc's early exit - leaving Carlos Sainz as Ferrari's last hope in the shootout - was strategy related.
And Leclerc explained: "We will have a new set of softs at some point in the race tomorrow which is a good thing.
"I am convinced that we made the right choice for us because tomorrow starting first or third is not that much of a difference.
"The race pace will eventually make the difference at the end because it is a track where it is relatively easy to overtake."
Leclerc expanded in the press conference that "having new tyres puts all the chances on our side".
"We need to be realistic," Leclerc said. "Those guys and also Aston Martin seem to be really, really quick in the race.
"That's why I think we made the right choice in Q3 to be willing to lose one or two positions at the start.
"Having that new soft will maybe help us."
If Ferrari had not made the decision they did, Leclerc would have had only one set of new soft tyres for Sunday's race. The move, therefore, gives them more strategic options, as Leclerc said.
Another reason for the tyre choice is because Ferrari do not think they can match Red Bull in Sunday's race.
"I have little doubt that they are stronger than us in race pace unfortunately," stated Leclerc.
"It is very difficult to know by how much because in P2, every team is running in different conditions.
"I hope it will look better than P2 but I doubt we will be at the level of Red Bull."
Red Bull, however, are expecting a battle with Ferrari, as well as potentially Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and the Mercedes.
"The Ferraris certainly picked up - I think they were sandbagging," said Perez. "They're definitely strong and I expect them to be in the fight for tomorrow's race.
"And it's not just Red Bull and Ferrari, there's plenty of other teams that have joined the competition."
Verstappen, who is aiming for a third straight world championship this season, continued: "A lot of things can happen throughout the race, sometimes it is not in your control, but I am looking forward to it.
"Always when we did a long run we were competitive. The car was so quick on the race runs.
"I am confident we can have a good race and hopefully we can show that tomorrow."
Formula 1 is back! Watch the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Sunday's race begins at 3pm, with build-up from 1.30pm. Get Sky Sports
