F1: Verstappen on pole in Bahrain
Red Bull driver beats team-mate Sergio Perez to take first pole of season
Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen put in a crushing performance to set pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver was fastest in all three qualifying sessions and beat team-mate Sergio Perez by almost half a second.
Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
It was a disappointing qualifying for Mercedes, with Hamilton struggling for pace throughout the session. The seven-time world champion was over a second off the pace of Verstappen.
Verstappen's pole position is the 13th of his career and his first since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He will be hoping to convert it into victory on Sunday and start the season with a win.
The race will start at 17:00 BST on Sunday.
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