POLES APART
Max warns more to come
Max Verstappen put down his marker for the new F1 season by bagging pole in Bahrain – then warned much more is to come today.
The two-time world champion, hot favourite to retain his title, led a front row lockout for Red Bull as Sergio Perez finished second.
And after securing his 21st pole on father Jos’ 51st birthday, the 25-yearold ominously told the rest of the field his race car will be “better”.
He said: “I was actually positively surprised to be on pole after the struggles I had in practice. Normally our race car is better – the long run should be our stronger point.”
The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start on the second row as Lewis Hamilton took seventh more than half a second off pole.
His Mercedes team-mate George Russell is sixth and Hammy my said: “I woke up thinking ng we were going to be a lot ot
FORMULA ONE Andy Dunn in Bahrain
further behind. So the fact we’re even getting into Q3 was great. We made a step forward and the car was feeling much more alive in practice.
“But then we got to qualifying and the car just didn’t feel alive.
“The direction I’ve gone with my set-up, I’m hoping it will work better in the race. It’s not an impossible mountain to climb – we’ve just got to push like never before.”
But Russell, a place behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, believes third place is Mercedes’ best hope.
He said: “Ferrari, over the last four years, have always been really strong in qualifying and struggled a bit more in the race, Fernando is a dark horse, so it’s going to be a good fight for P3. “It’s just a shame the Red Bulls are
a bit too far ahead for now. now.”