The three-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen won the first pole position of the season in Formula 1 in Bahrain on Friday, a welcome performance for Red Bull and its historic boss who the “Horner affair” continues to embarrass.
On the Sakhir circuit, in unusual cool weather for the season (18°C), the Dutchman beat the Ferrari of Monegasque Charles Leclerc and will therefore start on pole for 33e times in his F1 career.
” To be honest, [cette pole] was a little unexpected,” admitted “Mad Max,” who remained discreet during free practice. “We needed to refine certain things on the car to have the perfect balance,” he explained on the eve of the first race of the year which he already expects to be “close”.
The Briton George Russell (Mercedes) and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), only 22/1000e separate at the arrival of the first qualifications of the season, 3 will start respectivelye and 4e on the grid.
The start of the race will be given on Saturday, at night. For the first two Grand Prix of the season, in Bahrain then in Saudi Arabia, the traditional Sunday race was in fact moved to Saturday, a rare schedule in F1 in order to adapt to Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting which begins on March 11.
Ferrari in good shape, Alpine suffering
By placing its drivers on the first two rows of the grid, the Scuderia confirms its good form seen during winter testing at the end of February.
“Convinced” that Ferrari has taken “a step forward” for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Leclerc nevertheless tempers: “we really think that Red Bull still has a good lead in the race”.
The other Red Bull, that of the Mexican Sergio Pérez, will start 5th ahead of the Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), third in the Grand Prix last year on the Sakhir track.
The two McLarens of Briton Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri will start from 4e line after taking the 7e and 8e best times Friday evening. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and German Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) complete the top 10.
Regarding Alpine, which is arriving in Bahrain with a brand new single-seater to try to get back into the leading peloton, its French drivers will start from the last row: Esteban Ocon will start 19e ahead of Pierre Gasly, 20e.
“We have everything to rediscover,” Ocon explained to AFP during the tests. “The start of the season will not be easy but we need to be able to understand this new A524 as quickly as possible” in order to develop it at full speed, he also explained.
An email that gets people talking
With an RB20 with an innovative aerodynamic concept, Red Bull and its star are once again the big favorites this year, with a record number of events on the calendar with 24 Grands Prix.
The Austrian team, which won 21 of the 22 Grands Prix last year, also continues to arouse media interest off the track, due to the “Horner affair” revealed in the press in early February. .
Apparently saved after an internal investigation cleared him on Wednesday of accusations of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee of the F1 team, Christian Horner, historic boss of the team since 2005, had to defend again on Thursday.
At issue: the wide distribution of an anonymous email on this affair to journalists following F1, to motorsport officials and even to competing teams.
The content of this email, in particular the WhatsApp messages allegedly written by Horner, cannot be independently verified but the person concerned – who has always denied the facts – assured in the wake of this sending that he had “respected the probity of the independent investigation “.
“This was a thorough and fair investigation carried out by an independent specialist lawyer, who concluded that the complaint filed was dismissed,” noted the husband of ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.