F1 LIVE | Follow all the action of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix

After three free practice sessions in Bahrain, it's time to take stock: in qualifying it will become clear how the balance of power actually lies. Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have been strong so far on the Bahrain International Circuit, but can they turn that into pole position or will that honour go to Ferrari?

Formula 1 Live | Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying

Red Bull and Ferrari seem to be the big favourites for qualifying in Bahrain. They were the strongest in the free practice sessions, but still need to convert that into a good starting position.

Can Verstappen turn a strong weekend into pole?

Meanwhile, Mercedes hopes to partially solve the problems the team is experiencing. On Friday, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were sent out on the track with different specifications in an attempt to fix porpoising. Even if that succeeds, the team believes it is short of race pace. However, the German racing team can never be short of motivation.

Red Bull Racing and Ferrari came out strong in the free practice sessions and, for now, those two teams seem to be battling it out for pole position. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are the favourites, but perhaps their teammates can also provide a surprise.

Will Mercedes find a solution to the problems?

Mercedes are looking for a solution to the problems the team is experiencing. Down the straights, their car is porpoising. They will hope that from Friday to Saturday they have improved this because they are losing performance on the straights, and the drivers are finding it hard to find their braking point.

Red Bull Racing and Ferrari had a particularly good Friday and for now the battle for pole position seems to be between those two teams. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have emerged as the strongest so far, but can their teammates surprise?

New season, a clean slate

All teams are still on equal ground for the time being, but that will change after Sunday. This weekend marks the start of the 2022 F1 season. That means the wait is over and all F1 fans will finally get to see which team did its homework best over the winter. In the first practice sessions, the teams are mostly running their own program. 

The hope is that some teams who have it right and are on track in this second free practice are already making some raking shots at the timesheet. Possibly there is a team that already dares to try a qualifying run. The chance of that is small because teams often only do that in FP3, so if we are not much wiser after today's second session we will certainly be after Saturday.