Verstappen surprised by pole in Bahrain: "It was a bit unexpected"

From the first free practice sessions, it seemed unpredictable who would be the main contenders for pole position and victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix. In the end, it was Max Verstappen again, although the gap to the competition was smaller than before.

The differences were smaller, yet it is Verstappen who starts from pole at the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday. He will see Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc start alongside him from the front row, with George Russell behind.

Speaking after qualifying, Verstappen said he enjoyed it. "It was a lot of fun. The track had a lot of grip but with the wind the last two days, it was tricky to get the whole lap together. It was the same in qualifying," said the Dutchman.

He continued: "To really get everything out of it in Q3 was a little more difficult but I'm very happy to be on pole. It was a little bit unexpected but luckily in qualifying the car came to us and I felt a bit happier with the whole car."

He is happy about Red Bull Racing's race pace, but at the same time he sees the competition approaching. "The race is going to be close as well. We look good as well but we'll see tomorrow. I'm confident we can have a strong race," Verstappen said.