On Sunday, in Bahrain, Verstappen will start in pole position for the 33rd time in his career, a feat that puts him on par with F1 legends Jim Clark and Alain Prost. Only Lewis Hamilton (104), Michael Schumacher (68), Ayrton Senna (65), and Sebastian Vettel (57) have more F1 P1 starts than Max does now.
Verstappen ended his record-breaking season in F1 last year with a pole position in Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Eerily enough for his competitors, that same form has carried over.
Although Red Bull did not reveal their full potential before Qualifying on the night, Verstappen dominated the timesheets midway through Q2, clocking a time that was 0.5s faster than anyone else at the time. Ultimately, he secured pole position with a lap time of 1:29.179s, which was 0.288s quicker than the next fastest time set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who will start alongside Verstappen on the front row.
The RB20 lived up to the expectations set before the race. Last year, the gap to Leclerc in Qualifying was 0.292s, but Verstappen was in P3 back then, with Sergio Perez splitting the duo on the front row. Perez was a few tenths off his teammate’s time that night.
This time, the experienced Mexican driver could only manage P5, trailing Verstappen’s best effort by 0.35s, a margin that has been consistent between the two over the years.
Reflecting on his pole-winning lap after Qualifying in the Bahrain parc ferme tonight, the reigning and Triple F1 World Champion, Verstappen, expressed his satisfaction: “It was an enjoyable experience. The track had excellent grip, but the strong winds of the past two days made it challenging to put together a perfect lap. Qualifying was no different.
“It was a bit more difficult to extract the maximum performance in Q3, but I’m thrilled to be on pole. It was a pleasant surprise, as the car felt better during qualifying. The weekend hasn’t been easy for us so far. Testing went well, but the windy conditions this weekend made it more difficult to find the right car balance. We’ve been continuously working towards qualifying.
“We made some significant improvements to the car, which allowed us to secure pole position. The race is expected to be closely contested as well. We have a good chance, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday. I’m confident that we can have a strong race,” added Verstappen, who emerged victorious in the Bahrain Grand Prix last year.
This year, the top nine drivers in Qualifying are separated by just half a second, compared to a 1.2-second gap between P1 and P9 last year.
In his post-qualifying interview, Perez stated: “It will be crucial to have a strong start. If we can get off to a good start and build on that momentum, it should be a positive day for the team. Our position is favorable, as we were able to preserve our tires during qualifying. We will have to wait until Sunday to see where we stand, and how the race unfolds.”
In 2023, Red Bulls secured a dominant one-two finish in Bahrain, with Verstappen leading Perez by a margin of 11 seconds. Fernando Alonso, representing Aston Martin, claimed the third spot on the podium, a staggering 38 seconds behind the race winner.
The upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday will determine whether the gap between Verstappen and the other 19 drivers has widened or not. Regardless, it seems that this year’s narrative will mirror that of the previous season, with Max showcasing his superiority yet again.