F1 LIVE | Who will qualify on pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix?

The 2021 Formula 1 season is about to get real. The sandbagging will stop here and we will find out the true pace of all the F1 teams. Will Lewis Hamilton secure his 99th pole position, or will Red Bull make an official claim for a title battle this season? Follow our liveblog below as the season officially gets underway. 

Liveblog 

Formula 1 2021

Everything in the build-up to qualifying has suggested that we will get a battle at the front during the 2021 Formula 1 season. Mercedes struggled during the pre-season testings, whilst Red Bull Racing's car looked more stable than in recent seasons.

Max Verstappen topped the first two practice sessions in Bahrain this weekend, but Mercedes weren't far off. In the final third of qualifying, the sandbags will come off and the true pace and performance will become clear. Usually, Mercedes and Toto Wolff have something up their sleeves. 

Midfield

Behind the top two, and the battle becomes even more intriguing. Haas and Williams are clearly at the back of the field, but it is incredibly difficult to connect the dots between the rest. In Friday practice, the top 15 drivers were all separated by less than one second.

Lando Norris finished both practice sessions in the top three, but the Brit fully expects to be behind the top four cars in qualifying. His new teammate for 2021, Daniel Ricciardo wasn't far off the pace either. 

Ferrari looked much stronger compared to 2020. Carlos Sainz finished fourth in FP2, and Charles Leclerc finished fifth in FP1. Promising signs for the Scuderia and it will be interesting to see if they have anything extra to give in the final practice session.