Pole seemed within reach
Max Verstappen took pole position in Qualifying for the Bahrain GP. The Red Bull driver put together the best lap of his qualifying in the second run of Q3 in which he was also able to take advantage of an excellent slipstream on the starting straight when the Dutchman followed Oscar Piastri who was instead finishing the lap timed.
Charles Leclerc he finished in second position just over two tenths behind his peer, but the Monegasque can only be disappointed considering the fact that his time at the end of Q2 would have been worth pole position.
The Ferrari driver via radio at the end of Qualifying he underlined that from his point of view Q3 was affected by the fact that due to an excess of zeal Leclerc was sent back on track at the end of Q1 with a set of new soft tires, the second used by Leclerc in the first of the three sessions. At the end of the first run on the soft tires – previously the Ferrari drivers had used the medium ones – Leclerc was in seventh position, three tenths from the top and, fearing a sensational track evolution, Ferrari preferred not to take risks. Leclerc didn't even set the fastest lap as it became clear quite early that the Monegasque's time was more than enough to get him through the cut. According to Leclerc, however, that extra lap ruined Q3 where he only had one set of new soft tires (as he underlined in hot interviews). In the second attempt Leclerc also made a small mistake in Turn 11. Adding up the wake taken by Verstappen, Leclerc's mistake and the less than perfect management of Qualifying (according to Charles) by Ferrari, we arrived at those two-tenths of a delay which did not reflect – at least on the single lap – what was emerging at the end of Q2.
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