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Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season, edging Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is being held in Malaysia due to Gulf disruption.
Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the season on Saturday, producing a stunning late lap to top qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is being raced in Malaysia.
The four-time world champion clocked 1:35.130 in the final minute at the Sepang International Circuit, edging Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds. The 29-year-old Dutchman, currently sixth in the drivers' championship standings, continued his dominant form for Red Bull. It is the first time Verstappen has started from the front of the grid since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season.
Qualifying Results and Grid
Isack Hadjar was third for Red Bull but will drop five places on the starting grid due to a penalty for fitting new engine components beyond the permitted quota. Next came standings leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari and world champion Lando Norris of McLaren. Oscar Piastri was seventh in the second McLaren, ahead of George Russell of Mercedes, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi.
The session began in sizzling humidity, with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman leading out for Haas. Verstappen set the early pace with a 1:36.447 lap ahead of the two Ferraris, both running medium tyres while all their rivals used softs. With track temperatures in the mid-50s on a low-grip, high-degradation circuit, drivers tried to keep their tyres cool by taking things slower on their Q2 preparatory laps. The strategy earned Verstappen a black-and-white warning flag for driving unnecessarily slowly.
All that changed once he put his foot down and clocked 1:35.696 to go top. Antonelli exceeded track limits and had his first lap deleted, costing him a set of softs and requiring him to go out again for a timed lap. Taking greater care, Antonelli was fast enough to go P2, two-tenths down. Q3 began with Russell out first, but Verstappen scorched to the top again in 1:35.250 on his first run, ahead of team-mate Hadjar and Hamilton.
Final Laps Set Front Row
Antonelli's sole lap on his single remaining set of softs then lifted him to P3. That left the rest with their final runs, as Verstappen trimmed his time and Hamilton progressed to take P2 and join him on the front row in a dramatic final minute. Hamilton's pace on a late flying lap enabled him to secure his best starting spot since winning in Catalonia in June. Verstappen said: It's fantastic.
We've been trying for many Grands Prix to get a pole position, so to finally get it is pretty incredible. I'm happy with today and will try to win tomorrow. Hamilton, 41, said: The car felt great. We've made lots of changes.
And execution was really on point. If we can keep this up, hopefully we can get better results moving forward. Antonelli said: It's a shame about the mistake. I think it's going to be interesting.
Bahrain Grand Prix Preview
Max still has a bit of an edge on pace and the Ferraris looked pretty strong, so it's going to be tight, and the deg is going to be huge. The Bahrain Grand Prix is being raced in Malaysia due to disruption in the Gulf linked to the US-led war with Iran. The race is set to take place on Sunday at the Sepang International Circuit.
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IOL:Max Verstappen ends pole drought in Sepang heat as Lewis Hamilton claims front-row spotThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Max Verstappen Red Bull Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Sepang International Circuit Malaysia Qualifying
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