The first Qualifying session of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season took place under the floodlights at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday evening, and it was Max Verstappen who took pole position for Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. had topped the three free practice sessions across Friday and Saturday, but when it mattered, Red Bull found their form and took yet another pole position. And remember, Verstappen has won each of the last sixteen times he has started from the very front of the grid.
Let’s see what the top ten drivers had to say after the first Qualifying session of the season!
#1 – Max Verstappen – Oracle Red Bull Racing
“It feels good to be back on pole today! Testing was really good and then this weekend was a bit more tricky for us; it was difficult to get the balance of the car right due to the tricky conditions with the wind being quite strong.
“Heading into qualifying, no one knew where we all stood and it was very tight, but this is exciting for the sport. We made some good improvements on the car and also improved performance from FP3 to qualifying and in Q3 we had a little bit more grip.
“Ultimately, I am pleased with the performance of the car and was happy to be back competing again today. Looking to tomorrow, I have a good feeling and am confident ahead of the race. We know it is about looking after the tyres in the best way possible as anything can happen in the race.
“We have a good race car and hopefully we can show the same performance as we did today.”
#16 – Charles Leclerc – Scuderia Ferrari
“It was a good qualifying after what has been quite a tricky weekend. We tried a few things in the free practice sessions and I found the sweet spot in qualifying.
“We went out on a set of used tyres at first in Q3 which compromised our rhythm a bit, before switching to a new set but overall, it feels like we are in a better place than we were at the start of last year.
“We have to wait and see where we stand in terms of race pace and Red Bull still seem to be a step ahead of the rest of the pack. I’ll take any opportunity we have.”
#63 – George Russell – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
“Everybody at the factory has done a great job to give Lewis and I a car that we are much happier with. It’s a base that we can build upon. We’ve still got some catching up to do to be at the very front, but starting P3 for tomorrow’s race is a good place to be.
“It’s clear how tight it is between a number of teams, including ourselves, Ferrari, the McLarens, and Aston Martin. It is exciting knowing that if you put the whole lap together and find a tenth or two, that will add up to several positions on the grid.
“Since the test, the whole team has been working incredibly hard to fine-tune the set-up and make improvements. We’ve clearly made a big step forward in our single lap pace. Hopefully we haven’t compromised our race pace, but we will see tomorrow.
“I think we’re likely to be in a close fight for the podium positions behind Verstappen.”
#55 – Carlos Sainz Jr. – Scuderia Ferrari
“It was a super tight session and all in all it hasn’t been a bad first qualifying for the season. In Q3 we were not able to really put everything together, but we are in a decent spot for tomorrow’s race in P4.
“After testing we are confident that we have improved our race pace compared to the beginning of last year, so I’m looking forward to finally going at it tomorrow and finding out where we are on pace. Let’s kick-off the season with a good one!”
#11 – Sergio Perez – Oracle Red Bull Racing
“My lap wasn’t as clean as it could have been into turn one and that means two or three places when everything is so tight is up there. It was tricky, we were learning throughout qualifying, it was the first time we had run such a light car.
“We didn’t get the maximum because we lost a set of soft tyres for Q3 on an aborted lap in Q2, that was a negative but a positive is that the car was performing well in qualifying. We have some work to do but what matters is tomorrow, and we are on the right side of the grid so we should be able to have a strong start.
“A lot of teams saved the hard tyre but we saved those softs and that means we will be on different strategies out there. The target tomorrow will be to make progress and onto the podium, things are really close and it is going to be a nice battle ahead.”
#14 – Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team
“It was a nice surprise tonight in Qualifying to finish sixth and a very good way to start the new season. We were cautious heading into the session, but we found ourselves competitive and in the end we were only a tenth away from the Ferraris in Q3.
“The car felt more connected this weekend and our fine tuning was a real positive. I think it will be very close tomorrow in the race and the fine margins between us all means how we manage everything will be key.
“Let’s see what we can do, but I’m confident heading into the race.”
#4 – Lando Norris – McLaren F1 Team
“The car felt great all through qualifying and there’s a lot of potential. I didn’t get the best lap in at the end, but it’s a long race and there are plenty of overtaking opportunities.
“We’ll see what we can do to go forwards.”
#81 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren F1 Team
“P8. A significant improvement on last year. I did struggle with the balance all session and felt a fair way off compared to yesterday. It came together a bit more on the last lap in Q3, but it was a bit tricky. However, going into tomorrow, I think we can be in the mix.
“The grid is quite tight and there isn’t much in it, so it won’t be easy, but we’ll see what we can do.”
#44 – Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
“I struggled throughout Qualifying as we have in the past couple of years. The car is feeling really great, but I just went a little bit in a direction to help my race pace. I wasn’t feeling as comfortable with that yesterday so that was the focus.
“I’ve definitely sacrificed more single-lap performance than I hoped too but I hope that pays off tomorrow. It’s a lot of work to do to get past a lot of quick cars that are starting ahead of me, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.
“George’s position and the pace he showed today really highlights, and is a real testament, to the team. It shows just how hard everyone has worked over the winter. It’s amazing for us to have a car that we can fight with. It reignites the fire and the flame within us drivers.
“For me today, Bono and everyone else did a great job.”
#27 – Nico Hülkenberg – MoneyGram Haas F1 Team
“At the end of last year, I still managed to put it into Q3 a few times and we knew from last season qualifying was our strength. It looks like we’ve not lost it, but we need to fix the race day issue from before.
“Obviously, that’s the most crucial point for us this season, and we pretty much only focused on that in testing, and also in the winter to dial-out that characteristic that we had last year. It feels better but tomorrow is the real test to see if it actually is better, so exciting times ahead.”
