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Verstappen, Perez Give Red Bull 1-2 Pole for Bahrain GP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Formula One qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Saturday, March 4, 2023. The Bahrain GP. (Frank Augsten/AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Formula One qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Saturday, March 4, 2023. The Bahrain GP. (Frank Augsten/AP)
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Verstappen, Perez Give Red Bull 1-2 Pole for Bahrain GP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Formula One qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Saturday, March 4, 2023. The Bahrain GP. (Frank Augsten/AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Formula One qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Saturday, March 4, 2023. The Bahrain GP. (Frank Augsten/AP)

World champion Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.

Perez beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to place second, .138 seconds behind Verstappen under the floodlights at the desert track in Sakhir.

“Very happy to be on pole. It’s amazing and I’m looking forward for tomorrow,” Verstappen said after securing his 21st career pole. “We’ve shown really good race pace but we need to show that (on Sunday)."

Looking ahead to the race, Verstappen said, “Hopefully no crazy things will happen.”

Last year in Bahrain, Verstappen was chasing Leclerc when he retired just laps from the end and Ferrari clinched a 1-2 finish through Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Leclerc was .292 behind Verstappen in qualifying and starts on the second row alongside Sainz.

“We were in the fight (for pole), which I probably did not expect. That’s a good surprise,” The Associated Press quoted Leclerc as saying. “Realistically, they (Red Bull) seem to be very, very quick. We have taken a step forward but I don’t think it’s enough."

Leclerc posted only one time in Q3 and didn't take a last shot at pole in order to save tires for Sunday.

“We need to keep in our mind that in the race run, we seem to be a little bit on the backfoot compared to Red Bull,” he said. “I think we are in a better place starting third with new tires than starting first with old or a bit further up."

Fernando Alonso showed good speed for Aston Martin as the 41-year-old Spaniard qualified fifth, followed by Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso's teammate, Lance Stroll, was eighth.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon and new Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.

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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony holding thei trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST) and will run for 15 days.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 US Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.