Max Verstappen will begin his pursuit of a record-breaking fourth F1 world championship in pole position in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday. In the first qualifying match of 2024, he defeated Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc in a fierce battle. While racing it was Mercedes’s George Russell who finished a strong third, just tenth behind Leclerc, but teammate Lewis Hamilton finished only ninth after choosing a different course for the setup of his car.
Amid all the drama:
This served as a helpful reminder that despite all the controversy and drama surrounding Red Bull, as a sporting organization, they are still incredibly skilled at handling the craziness that currently surrounds their primary goal of racing. Red Bull demonstrated the edge over all the wolves. Those who challenged the brand and thought their performance might suffer due to the controversy got their answers. What had been a terrifyingly dominant car the previous year aggressively evolved into the undisputed leader of the pack once again.
Verstappen remains undefeated:
After demonstrating his real mettle on the opening lap of qualifying round three, Verstappen improved as the circuit closed in, with a three-tenths faster time of 1 minute, 29.179 seconds, which was good enough to take pole from Leclerc. Most significantly, though, this occurred on a track that is harsh on tires and has not historically been a good fit for the Red Bull, which made it a concerning marker. Russell and Leclerc did admit that they were afraid Verstappen would flee and hide from Pole on Saturday.
After the Dutchman took the pole, Verstappen’s boss Christian Horner, who normally oversees the session from his spot on the Red Bull pit wall, congratulated his driver from the radio. Verstappen’s final attempt to pass second-place Leclerc was a best Q3 lap of 1:29.179. In the previous Q2 session, Leclerc had actually lapped slightly faster than Verstappen’s eventual pole time, but he went two-tenth slower in the crucial final stage.
Horner’s message to Verstappen:
Verstappen apologized to mechanic Gianpiero Lambiase over team radio after the latter informed him that he had done “enough” for pole position on Friday. Although it seemed like the defending champion wasn’t sure that his hot lap would be enough, in the end, he finished 0.228 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, the closest competitor. Even after the win, the veteran apologized to which Horner, the chief of Red Bull, said there is nothing for which he should apologize.
In conclusion, Max Verstappen’s pole position win on the one hand shows his exceptional skill and on the other, his perseverance. Amid all the controversy, he kept his calm and fought all the battles. As the teams prepare for the main event, anticipation mounts for a thrilling showdown on the Bahrain circuit. With Verstappen leading the team, the fate will be seen shortly.
