The current two-time world champion Max Verstappenof the Red Bull team, winner of the Constructors’ Cup last year, took pole position starting first in the Bahrain Grand Prixfirst race of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Dutchman Verstappen, tasked with interrupting the reign of the category’s top champion, the British Lewis Hamilton (seven titles), took the first “pole” of the season – the number 21 of his career – by a tenth and started from second place to his teammate from the Red Bull team, Sergio “Checo” Pérez.
The Bahrain Grand Prix, the first of 23 rounds of the year, will kick off this Sunday at 12:00 in Argentina with a Star+ broadcast for 57 laps at the Sakhir International Circuit, where Red Bull has not won for 10 years.
After the Red Bull, the Ferraris of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (third), even if he lost pieces on the circuit and forced to the first red flag in a session to order the starting grid, and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (fourth) will come out.
The Spaniard Fernando Alonso will also start fifth, the fastest in the second and third practice sessions at the Sakhir circuit. The two-time champion is Aston Martin’s new driver to replace retired four-time German champion Sebastian Vettel.
The British George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with their Mercedes, will start from sixth and seventh position respectively.
Canadian Lance Stroll, who is recovering from a broken wrist, took eighth in his Aston Martin; while the expert German Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) will start tenth.
The three rookie drivers of the year will start a little further back: the American Logan Sargeant (22), from Williams, a team that has added the Argentine Franco Colapinto (19) to its academy, finished 16th. Meanwhile, Australian Oscar Piastri (21, McLaren) will start from 18th. and the Dutch Nyck de Vries (28, AlphaTauri), 19th. place.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.