Scuderia Ferrari Moneagsque driver Charles Leclerc beat current Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen to take the first pole position of the year at the Bahrain International Circuit yesterday. The Ferrari driver was behind his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz after the first runs in Q3, but a superb last-ditch effort put him top of the pile to secure pole position ahead of the Red Bull driver. Since making their respective Formula 1 debuts, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have established themselves as two of the most aggressive drivers on the grid, which makes for an interesting race this afternoon in Bahrain.
“I’m not settling for a second place” – this is how Charles Leclerc previewed the weekend of the first Formula One Grand Prix of the year in Bahrain, after a long winter and a lot of work for Ferrari, especially during the two pre-season testing sessions which took place in Barcelona and Bahrain. And for now it seems the Monegasque driver was right, at least after the qualifying session for the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix and the great pole position lap.
It had been 15 years since Ferrari last started from the front in the first round of a Formula 1 season, but the best part now comes from the race that will set Sakhir on fire in a few hours. For now, however, it is impossible to hold back the smile and the light-heartedness of the best moments, while at the same time aware that Red Bull still has great potential in its pocket, especially in terms of race pace, as could be seen from the Friday practice sessions at the Sakhir track.
“It is really nice to have the confirmation that all the work done in the last two years pays off. Personally, I was aware that we were working in the right way, but until you are back in front you can never be sure” – explained Charles Leclerc in an interview for Sky Sport after the qualifying session on Saturday – “I am really happy to have taken the first pole, but we have to work harder than ever to stay ahead in the race. Let’s see what happens: Red Bull seems two or three tenths ahead of us in terms of race pace, especially on the long run. Despite this, we hope to have a nice surprise like in qualifying, to be able to have a good race and win.” – Charles Leclerc concluded.
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