{"id":282867,"date":"2025-04-15T21:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T21:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/max-verstappen-and-sergio-perez-give-red-bull-1-2-pole-for-bahrain-gp\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T21:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T21:00:03","slug":"max-verstappen-and-sergio-perez-give-red-bull-1-2-pole-for-bahrain-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/max-verstappen-and-sergio-perez-give-red-bull-1-2-pole-for-bahrain-gp\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez give Red Bull 1-2 pole for Bahrain GP"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Max<\/div>


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World champion Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Perez beat Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc to place second, .138 seconds behind Verstappen under the floodlights at the desert track in Sakhir.<\/p>\n

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\u201cVery happy to be on pole. It\u2019s amazing and I\u2019m looking forward for tomorrow,\u201d Verstappen said after securing his 21st career pole. \u201cWe\u2019ve shown really good race pace but we need to show that (on Sunday).\u201d<\/p>\n

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Looking ahead to the race, Verstappen said, \u201cHopefully no crazy things will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year in Bahrain, Verstappen was chasing Leclerc when he retired just laps from the end and Ferrari clinched a 1-2 finish through Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.<\/p>\n

Leclerc was .292 behind Verstappen in qualifying and starts on the second row alongside Sainz.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in the fight (for pole), which I probably did not expect. That\u2019s a good surprise,\u201d Leclerc said. \u201cRealistically, they (Red Bull) seem to be very, very quick. We have taken a step forward but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Leclerc posted only one time in Q3 and didn\u2019t take a last shot at pole in order to save tires for Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to keep in our mind that in the race run, we seem to be a little bit on the backfoot compared to Red Bull,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we are in a better place starting third with new tires than starting first with old or a bit further up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fernando Alonso showed good speed for Aston Martin as the 41-year-old Spaniard qualified fifth, followed by Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n

Alonso\u2019s teammate, Lance Stroll, was eighth.<\/p>\n

Alpine\u2019s Esteban Ocon and new Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.<\/p>\n

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A piece came off Leclerc\u2019s car six minutes into the first run, known as Q1, bringing out a red flag as the track was cleaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lock-up was me being too optimistic going into Turn 1,\u201d Leclerc said about the incident.<\/p>\n

Alonso led Friday\u2019s second practice ahead of the two Red Bulls, raising hopes he could challenge for pole. Hopes remained high after he topped the third practice, with Verstappen 0.005 seconds behind and Perez .106 behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually positively surprised being on pole after the struggles I had in practice,\u201d Verstappen said. \u201cThat\u2019s positive, and our race car is better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Alonso was even quicker than Verstappen on their first runs in Q1, led by Sainz.<\/p>\n

Stroll bumped McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris into 11th at the end of Q2, led by Leclerc.<\/p>\n

Stroll surprised many observers by returning so quickly behind the wheel, after missing preseason testing because of an injury in a bicycle accident. He needed minor surgery on his right wrist.<\/p>\n

F1 newcomer Logan Sargeant, the first American driver on the grid since 2015, was 16th for Williams. He surged up from last on his last lap and narrowly missed out on Q2, with McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris just edging him out.<\/p>\n

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Veteran Kevin Magnussen was a poor 17th for Haas; new McLaren driver Oscar Piastri was 18th, then AlphaTauri\u2019s Nyck de Vries. Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who has won an F1 race, placed a soul-crushing last on his Alpine debut.<\/p>\n

THIRD PRACTICE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hamilton was fourth in P3 ahead of Leclerc and Russell.<\/p>\n

Hamilton sounded frustrated with his team when they didn\u2019t get back out in time at the end for practice starts.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on guys. This is twice now,\u201d said Hamilton, whose car was pushed back into the garage.<\/p>\n

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Hamilton didn\u2019t win a race last year for the first time in his 16-year career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n