Leclerc elated with pole: "Were convinced Red Bull was faster"

Ferrari is definitely back. Charles Leclerc opened the season with pole position and thus has the best starting point for the Bahrain Grand Prix. In the process, he managed to stay ahead of Max Verstappen by a tenth of a second. On Sunday, he expects an exciting battle for victory with Red Bull Racing.

The joy is clearly visible with the first polesitter of the year. Leclerc says it feels good to be back at the front with Ferrari. " The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team," he says after qualifying.

Ferrari was hopeful that the new regulations would give them the chance to return to the top. "W We have worked extremely hard as a team to put ourselves in a position to fight." continues the Monegasque.

The Ferrari driver admits that he hadn't expected to be ahead of Red Bull. "We thought Red Bull will be quicker than us in qualifying which was a good surprise for us," Leclerc said.