Two Ferrari drivers reached the top three in F1 time. Valtteri Bottas surprised everyone with his Alfa Romeo. The Finn defeated George Russell of Mercedes. An even bigger surprise was Haasin’s Kevin Magnussen.
Micke Suopuro,
Simo Arkko
19.3. 18: 04 • Updated March 19 18:49
The new era of F1 began in Bahrain with the timing of the opening race of the season, which was colorful and surprising.
There was a fierce battle for Red Bull over the pole position Max Verstappen and Ferrari Carlos Sainzin mixed Charles Leclercin between. In the end, Leclerc was the fastest, Verstappen second and Sainz third.
The pile was the tenth of a career in Monaco.
Alfa Romeon Valtteri Bottas reached the third section. The Finn starts six in the race. Bottas was even the fourth fastest in the set in the opening session of the time trials. Lewis Hamilton leaves the race from box five, replacing Bottas in the stable George Russel was only ninth.
Bottas’ performance was staggering, as Alfa Romeo was the second weakest team in the series last season. Alfa Romeo reached the finals in only four races last season.
– I have to say it was a really good time trial. For my part, clean. With each round, I was able to improve on something, Bottas said in an interview with Viaplay.
The biggest surprise was last season’s jumbo team Haas and the Danish driver who returned to the stable after a year’s break. Kevin Magnussenwhich reached the third section.
The Dane didn’t get left on the feet of the others, but loaded the table for the seventh best time in the final section as well, even though there was a technical problem with the car at the end of the second section. Magnussen’s teammate Mick Schumacher was 12.
Indeed, the first time trial showed that the new rule changes have changed the balance of power significantly. A significant change is that Ferrari showed its strength, in addition to which Alfa Romeo, enjoying the power of the Italian stable, surprised with its Speed. The Haas team is also cooperating with Ferrari.
Leclerc rejoiced, though he was not happy with the driving
Leclerc, who has been driving a Ferrari since 2019, was naturally very happy with the pole position, although there was room for improvement in driving, according to Monaco.
– It feels good, because the last two years have been incredibly difficult for our team. We knew the new rules would be our chance. I am very happy. I’m not happy with my ride, Leclerc said in a track interview.
The pole position battle was extremely tight, with reigning world champion Verstappen only a good tenth of Leclerc left.
– The second section looked good, but in the third we had a struggle with balance. But we have a good race car, Verstappen reflected on Sunday’s race.
Bahrain GP time trial results
1. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1.30,558
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1.30,681
3. Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1.30,687
4. Sergio Perez Red Bull 1.30,921
5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1.31,238
6. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1.31,560
7. Kevin Magnussen Haas 1.31,808
8. Fernando Alonso Alpine 1.32,195
9. George Russell Mercedes 1.32,216
10. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1.32,338
11. Esteban Ocon Alpine
12. Mick Schumacher Haas
13. Lando Norris McLaren
14. Alexander Albon Williams
15. Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo
16. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri
17. Nico Hulkenberg Aston Martin
18. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren
19. Lance Stroll Aston Martin
20. Nicholas Latifi Williams