Charles Leclerc takes pole position for fast Ferrari in Bahrain, beating Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz by a tenth; Lewis Hamilton fifth for Mercedes, George Russell ninth; Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen both shine in top-10; Watch Bahrain GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday at 3pm
Sunday 20 March 2022 15:21, UK
Charles Leclerc is on pole position for the first race of Formula 1 2022 after a sensational Bahrain GP qualifying for Ferrari, beating world champion Max Verstappen as Mercedes struggled to match their rivals.
In an unpredictable and fiercely competitive qualifying under the lights at Sakhir, it was a Ferrari vs Red Bull battle throughout but it was Leclerc who struck when it mattered most on his final lap of Q3.
Needing to overhaul team-mate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc posted a 1:30.558 to edge ahead.
Verstappen also improved on his last lap, although finished a tenth down on Leclerc in second place. He will sandwich the Ferraris on the grid for Sunday's season-opening Bahrain GP, live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm.
"Obviously the last two years for the team have been extremely difficult but I knew it was just a matter of time before we got back to the top," said Leclerc, with Ferrari right back in contention at the start of 2022's new era.
Mercedes, however, were not in the same league as a rejuvenated Ferrari and the ever-strong Red Bull to begin the season.
Sergio Perez was fourth for Red Bull while Lewis Hamilton was the lead Mercedes in fifth, and some 0.680s off pole.
It was an even worse story for George Russell in his first Mercedes qualifying alongside Hamilton, with the Briton only ninth after two scruffy Q3 laps in an all-new car that has struggled through testing and the weekend in Bahrain.
Valtteri Bottas was only just behind old team-mate Hamilton for surprise-package Alfa Romeo, while Kevin Magnussen was another top-10 shock for Haas, qualifying seventh on his F1 return.
It was a disappointing session for McLaren, with Lando Norris out in Q2 and Daniel Ricciardo in Q1, along with Aston Martin stand-in Nico Hulkenberg.
Bahrain GP Qualifying result, top 10
1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
7) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
8) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
9) George Russell, Mercedes
10) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
After six days of testing and three practice sessions, qualifying in Bahrain provided a first true glimpse of F1 2022's pecking order as all teams pushed their new cars to the limit.
The picture wasn't a pretty one for teams like McLaren, Williams or Aston Martin - the only outfit with both drivers knocked out in Q1.
But, while their form was clear heading into qualifying, the biggest timesheets shock still comes at Mercedes, F1's eight-time world champions who just have not unlocked their car to this point.
"I think we have to be realistic about our performance level at the moment and it's the third quickest team on the grid," team boss Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
Hamilton's admission that he was "generally really happy" was another clear sign of Mercedes' lack of pace considering he finished seven tenths off pole, a rarity for the seven-time world champion.
"Given where we've been in the past two weeks, the car has been a bit of a nightmare to drive," said Hamilton, whose Mercedes team do appear to have at least settled down their 'porpoising' issues.
"Those guys ahead of us are in another league."
"I feel like we're going one step forward and two steps back," added Russell. "We feel like we're making progress but then suddenly we're back into the same issues.
"It's difficult because we're so focused on solving the overarching issue of the car that it's difficult to nail down on the details and fine-tune the thing."
On the race, Hamilton stated: "Those guys will be going away, we're not in the fight with those. My battle is with the guys behind, most likely."
Ferrari, on the other hand, could not have asked for a better start to F1 2022. After more than a decade without a title, three years without a win and two years languishing in the midfield, Ferrari, who openly admitted they were focusing on their 2022 car earlier than most, appear to have made use of that headstart.
"I think everybody has been waiting for us," said team boss Mattia Binotto. "After those difficult seasons we have pushed a lot, we worked very hard back at the factor.
"I know tomorrow can be even tougher, but at least qualy is showing the car is performing well. The season is long but we want to be part of it."
Leclerc insisted that the team were "pretty sure that Red Bull was going to be a bit quicker than us" and that pole was a "good surprise".
All the ingredients are there for an epic race on Sunday, with Leclerc and Verstappen - two young drivers who have a feisty history in wheel-to-wheel battles - on the front row.
Watch it all live on Sky Sports F1, with build-up from 1.30pm before lights out at 3pm.
