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.
