Max Verstappen secured his and Red Bull’s first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a dominant qualifying performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing 0.298 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen topped all three qualifying sessions to secure pole and put himself in the best possible position for Sunday’s race.

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Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was third fastest, but his five-place grid penalty means Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli will move up to third on the starting grid. Championship leader Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, meanwhile, could manage only eighth fastest.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, ahead of McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who took sixth and seventh respectively.

Fernando Alonso, who recently confirmed that he will remain in Formula 1 for at least another year in 2027, gave Aston Martin its best qualifying result of the season so far with 12th place.

Alonso qualified behind Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson. His Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll qualified 14th, with Williams’ Carlos Sainz between the two Aston Martins.

Red Bull’s Turnaround

Red Bull’s improvement comes after the team introduced an aerodynamic upgrade at the previous race in Azerbaijan.

The upgrade appears to have delivered a significant boost at the demanding Sepang circuit, which is hosting the race after it was postponed earlier in the year because of the war in the Middle East.

Verstappen has endured a difficult season, with Red Bull struggling for pace and balance for much of the campaign. However, steady improvements to the car have helped him put together a strong run of results.

Hamilton’s front-row start also adds another layer of intrigue to Sunday’s race. His battle with Verstappen brings back memories of their intense 2021 title fight, when Hamilton was racing for Mercedes.

Bahrain GP: Qualifying Results And Starting Grid

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:35.130

  2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.298

  3. *Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.428

  4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.501

  5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.536

  6. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.627

  7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.632

  8. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.741

  9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +2.080

  10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +2.543

*Hadjar has a five-place grid penalty.

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