GP Bahrain Starting Grid
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He had dominated the preseason tests and the three free sessions this weekend at Sakhir.
In extreme heat and under the relief of the desert night.
Max Verstappen
knew how to adapt to the variations of the wind and he proved it with a perfect lap (1: 28.997), with which he grabbed the fourth pole of his sporting career.
"It was a joy to drive this car," admitted the Dutchman as soon as he got off the RB16B, with which he beat
Lewis Hamilton
and
Valtteri Bottas
, as competitive as usual with Mercedes.
The improvement of the Silver Arrows and the notes of the Ferrari SF21, with which
Charles Leclerc
reached fourth place, were other conclusions of a very fun Saturday.
It could still be better if
Carlos Sainz would
not have failed in his last attempt.
The Madrilenian will start eighth, just ahead of
Fernando Alonso
.
Sainz's error in the first sector (1: 30.215) lowered the expectations pointed out in Q2, where he had topped the table.
The six tenths lost in the key moment against Leclerc will sting Carlos' competitive mood, but the positives will weigh more heavily in
Mattia Binotto's
notebook
.
"It was not a good lap. I have lacked that little bit of experience. I did not know what to expect at Turn 1 and I have sinned conservatism, but you can learn from everything," said Sainz.
Of course, the premiere with a new steering wheel is never easy, although that drink was far surpassed by Alonso, who knew how to exploit the package of improvements promised in his Alpine.
His astonishing competitive level allowed him to climb to ninth place (1: 30.249), when his teammate had fallen in Q1.
And, as had already been pointed out in the previous one, there was no truce on the scorching asphalt of Sakhir.
Sainz's engine scare
It did not take long to highlight some unexpected actors, such as
Yuki Tsunoda
, who
initially
allowed himself a hundredth of advantage over Hamilton.
After that first attempt, only seven tenths separated Verstappen, with the best record (1: 30.499) of Bottas, sixth in the table (1: 31.200).
Sainz needed something more (1: 31.653) because the track improved exponentially and even more Alonso, who had to progress in all three sectors until salvation in seventh place (1: 30.863).
A spin by the unpredictable
Nikita Mazepin
had unleashed a certain chaos, although nothing comparable to the Madrid's fright.
"The engine has suddenly stopped. And I don't know why," Carlos exclaimed on the radio, seeing his attempt to improve the second sector aborted.
He could barely get to the
pits
to assess the damage.
Carlos Sainz, during qualifying.AFP
It must have been some kind of vibration going through the pianos, something not too important, given that the SF21 was carburetting ready for the Q2.
A serious matter now, resolved with a great time (1: 30.861), two tenths faster than Leclerc.
Very similar, by the way, to Alonso's 1: 30.931, who defended Alpine's pride after the
Esteban Ocon
debacle
in Q1.
Nobody was hiding anything.
Not even Hamilton (1: 30.085), two tenths ahead of Verstappen.
A
Sergio Perez
and
Daniel Ricciardo
, meanwhile, were erased times to exceed the limits in Turn 4.
A terrible advance for the Mexican, who was left out of the improvement, just like Tsunoda.
On the contrary, Ricciardo did react, as did
Lance Stroll
saving Aston Martin's position, given that
Sebastian Vettel
had fallen in Q1.
However, the sublime moment was colored by Ferrari with Sainz (1: 30.009) and Leclerc, only one thousandth behind.
A red double in Q2, ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, who were on intermediate tires.
As icing on the cake, Alonso's seventh place.
Alonso: "Better than expected"
With expectations fulfilled, the two-time world champion remained on the lookout in Q3, as did Leclerc and Stroll.
Five minutes later he hit the asphalt elbow to elbow in front of
Lando Norris
in the
pit lane
.
The favorites had already appeared ahead, with Verstappen (1: 29.526) just 23 thousandths ahead of Hamilton.
The performance of the tires diminished Sainz (1: 30.536), who could not improve either on his last attempt.
Alonso did pass Stroll for ninth place and barely hid his satisfaction from the microphones.
Alonso, this Saturday in Bahrain.AP
"Everything went very well, better than expected, because we did not think to improve so much," he commented, after acknowledging his low confidence in the rear of the A521 and his lack of understanding with the performance of the tires.
"Tomorrow is a race with many things for the first time: the start, the tire management, the
pit-stops
. They seem banal things, but it has been more than two years since I have reacted to a tire," he concluded.
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Know more
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