- Red Bull take front of grid while Fernando Alonso is fifth
- Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in third; Mercedes are sixth and seventh
Max Verstappen claimed pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening meeting of the new 2023 Formula One season. The Red Bull driver delivered a masterful, controlled lap of the Sakhir circuit to beat his teammate Sergio Pérez into second place. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in third. By far the best showing of the new season belonged to Fernando Alonso putting his Aston Martin in fifth, beating both the Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who were in sixth and seventh. Carlos Sainz was in fourth for Ferrari.
In what was a tense and highly competitive qualifying session, where the outcome was far from settled until the very final runs, the track was growing quicker after every run as the rubber went down giving Q3 added tension, not least after how competitive Aston Martin had been in practice.