LECLERC’S SHOCK POLE MAY BE HUGE BLOW FOR VETTEL

CHARLES LECLERC shook up Ferrari — and the world championship pecking order — by beating his grander team-mate Sebastian Vettel to pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The season’s early story has been about No2 drivers who refuse to read the script.

In Melbourne a fortnight ago, Valtteri Bottas emerged from the long shadows to beat Lewis Hamilton into second place — and then this clinical act of insubordination in the desert.

Ferrari newcomer Leclerc, at 21 years and 165 days old, became the second youngest man to claim pole, only after Vettel, who was 92 days younger when he stormed a wet Monza — and the minds of the wider public — in 2008. The German went on to win that race.

He was not on terms with Leclerc all evening, and will start today’s 57-lapper second on the grid. He was a chastening three-tenths of a second behind the Monegasque. Hamilton will begin third and Bottas fourth.

It will be intriguing to see what bearing Leclerc’s thumping of Vettel will have on equilibrium in the camp just a few weeks after new team principal Mattia Binotto indicated his senior driver, the four-time world champion, would be first among equals.

Leclerc was to play the support role, as he was asked to do at Melbourne: specifically, not to race Vettel when they were running fourth and fifth. He followed orders. Will Ferrari continue to favour Vettel today? Will Leclerc be told to move over?

The answer to the former is ‘possibly’; the answer to the latter is ‘almost certainly not’.

It would be damaging to Formula One if either manipulation occurred. The pair should be free to race without constraint. It’s only the second race of the season.

Leclerc said: ‘We haven’t had our pre-race meeting yet, but I will do everything I can to keep first place.’

Vettel made no public request for favoured-son status here under the lights. He instead paid tribute to Leclerc and told him taking your first pole is a day you never forget.

Vettel’s situation will only become a predicament if Leclerc’s pace yesterday turns into a pattern.

That is the unthinkable scenario for him because it would spell the end of his Ferrari career. It is too early for that kind of talk. Or is it?

As for Hamilton, he said: ‘This has been a weak circuit for me so I am reasonably upbeat.’

British rookie Lando Norris did well in only his second qualifying session. He starts 10th, three slots behind team-mate Carlos Sainz.