Three Takeaways From Qualifying For The 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix

The long-anticipated 2024 Formula 1  season finally gets underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Due to Ramadan, both this week’s Grand Prix and next week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, meaning qualifying for each event was moved up to Friday.

Now that we know the results of the season’s inaugural qualifying session, here are some of the top takeaways.

1) Max Verstappen Is Still The Man Everybody Is Chasing

Surprise, surprise, the three-time reigning World Driver’s Champion is atop the heap. Verstappen comes into the season as the overwhelming favorite to repeat (again) as champion in the sport’s most dominant car.

Verstappen hasn’t been dominant all weekend, but when it mattered most he put down a monster lap, even with controversy surrounding his team.

The Dutchman’s time of 1:29.179 in Q3 was not only good enough for pole position, but also a whopping .228 seconds better than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second place.

Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, wound up in just fifth place, .358 behind the champ.

2) The Fight Is On For Second Place In The Constructor’s Championship

While Red Bull ran away with the constructor’s championship in 2023, more than doubling the next-best team, second place was a much more interesting fight.

Ferrari showed pace early in the season, but ultimately it was the consistency of Mercedes that landed them in second, just three points ahead of the Scuderia. Both McLaren and Aston Martin appeared at times as if they were the second-best team on the grid, but lacked the consistency to fight with the others.

Now it appears that all four constructors are in the fight. Ferrari drivers will start second and fourth, while Mercedes’ George Russell split the two in third place.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren out-qualified Lewis Hamitlon, who finished the session down in ninth. And Fernando Alonso placed his lone Aston Martin in sixth, while showing some strong pace over the long run in previous practices.

3) Alpine Is In Big, Big Trouble

A year ago, Pierre Gasly began his tenure with French team Alpine is disastrous fashion, starting the Bahrain GP in dead last, 20th.

But Gasly put in a phenomenal drive on race day to finish ninth and pick up a pair of points.

He’ll need to hope for a similar miracle this time around. Gasly once against finished in 20th after qualifying, a full .155 down on teammate Esteban Ocon who was only slightly better in 19th.

Alpine showed significantly better race pace than qualifying pace a year ago, but to be this far off the pace already has to be a worrying sign.