Max Verstappen held off all challengers and will be first on the starting grid for the 2023 Bahrain GP after a brilliant performance in qualifying. The Dutchman will be joined by Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez on the front row of the grid.
The Bahrain GP qualifying session saw the Red Bulls fighting with Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for pole, but ultimately Verstappen was comfortably able to put his car on pole.
Leclerc feels he could have had a shout for first on the grid, but the Ferrari driver never completed a second run in Q3 and had to then settle for third.
Meanwhile, Alonso’s renaissance faltered at the death as the Aston Martin finished qualifying behind both Red Bull and Ferrari cars.
2023 Bahrain GP starting grid
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas |
| 11 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| 13 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| 15 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
| 18 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 19 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
