Max Verstappen takes pole at Sepang for the Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen has once again been the fastest. The Red Bulla driver achieved a stratospheric pole position in Sepang this Saturday. The quadruple world champion will start first this Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

For his part, Fernando Alonso achieved his best classification of the season this Saturday, achieving a creditable twelfth position. Carlos Sainz was thirteenth.

Verstappen signed his first pole of the season, dominating qualifying, in whose third and decisive round (Q3) he covered, with the soft tire, the 5,543 meters of the Malaysian track in one minute, 35 seconds and 130 thousandths, 298 less than Hamilton, who will start next to him from the front row.

The other Red Bull, Hadjar's, set the third time of the main qualifying session, 428 thousandths behind his teammate, but since he was penalized with the loss of five places on the grid, for changing elements in the power unit of his car, he will start eighth.

Kimi Antonelli, World Cup leader, who set the fourth time - half a second behind the Dutch star - therefore 'inherits' third place, in a second row completed by Leclerc.

The two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, sixth on the grid, will start from the third row.

George Russell, second in the World Championship, 66 points behind the 302 with which Antonelli leads, starts seventh, from the fourth row; which completes the sanctioned Hadjar.

Gasly will start ninth, one position ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, in a test that the Spaniards Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will face from twelfth and thirteenth place, respectively.