The first qualifying of the 2022 Formula 1 season will be a real thriller. In the end, the Ferrari driver takes first place for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Mick Schumacher only narrowly fails – his new teammate gets even further.
Charles Leclerc secured pole position at the start of the Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. In qualifying on Saturday, Monegasse secured starting position 1 in the Ferrari just ahead of world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz finished third. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton put the weakening Mercedes in fifth place, his new teammate George Russell was only ninth.
“It feels really good, the past few years have been incredibly difficult for the team,” said Leclerc: “We had hoped that we would be up front again.”
Mercedes, however, had already declared itself an outsider before the first training session, the rest of the paddock didn’t really want to believe it – but unlike in previous years, the problems with the Silver Arrows this time are apparently actually “fundamental”, as Hamilton said. The hopping on the straights and the understeer bothered both pilots.
Best qualifying placement in Schumacher’s career
After a decent performance at the beginning of qualifying, Mick Schumacher missed a small coup, after a driving error the Haas driver did not reach the decisive qualifying section Q3, he ended up in 12th place – nevertheless the greatest success of his Formula 1 career so far . His new teammate Kevin Magnussen even made it to seventh place, last year the Haas was the weakest car in the field.
Aston Martin’s reserve pilot Nico Hülkenberg, who replaces Sebastian Vettel, who is suffering from Corona, narrowly missed the second part of qualifying and took 17th place. The Rhinelander was faster than teammate Lance Stroll (19th) right away, although he was in free practice at the sat in this car for the first time on Friday.