Leclerc pipped Red Bull driver Verstappen by 0.123s in the third and final segment of the one-hour qualifying session, in which five cars are knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the Q3 top-10 shootout.
They will share the front row as Leclerc scored Ferrari's first pole since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz Jr was third-fastest in the second Ferrari, leading Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, while Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could only muster the fifth and ninth-fastest times.
Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying results: Leclerc on pole from Verstappen
| Cla | Driver | Time | Gap | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Charles Leclerc |  | 1'30.558 | 215.146 | |
| 2 |  Max Verstappen |  | 1'30.681 | 0.123 | 214.854 |
| 3 |  Carlos Sainz Jr |  | 1'30.687 | 0.129 | 214.840 |
| 4 |  Sergio Perez |  | 1'30.921 | 0.363 | 214.287 |
| 5 |  Lewis Hamilton |  | 1'31.238 | 0.680 | 213.542 |
| 6 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | 1'31.560 | 1.002 | 212.791 |
| 7 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | 1'31.808 | 1.250 | 212.216 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso |  | 1'32.195 | 1.637 | 211.325 |
| 9 | George Russell |  | 1'32.216 | 1.658 | 211.277 |
| 10 |  Pierre Gasly |  | 1'32.338 | 1.780 | 210.998 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon |  | 1'31.782 | 1.224 | 212.276 |
| 12 |  Mick Schumacher |  | 1'31.998 | 1.440 | 211.778 |
| 13 | Lando Norris |  | 1'32.008 | 1.450 | 211.755 |
| 14 |  Alex Albon |  | 1'32.664 | 2.106 | 210.256 |
| 15 |  Guanyu Zhou |  | 1'33.543 | 2.985 | 208.280 |
| 16 |  Yuki Tsunoda |  | 1'32.750 | 2.192 | 210.061 |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg |  | 1'32.777 | 2.219 | 210.000 |
| 18 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | 1'32.945 | 2.387 | 209.620 |
| 19 |  Lance Stroll |  | 1'33.032 | 2.474 | 209.424 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi |  | 1'33.634 | 3.076 | 208.078 |
| View full results | |||||
What happened in Q1?
Verstappen set the early bar in Q1 by lapping in 1m31.909s, 0.474s faster than his team-mate Perez, who ran wide at the final corner having beaten the Dutchman’s middle sector time. Kevin Magnussen grabbed an early second for Haas before Valtteri Bottas snatched it away for Alfa Romeo, just 0.01s off Verstappen.
Ferrari then took control, with Leclerc taking the top spot on 1m31.471s, 0.096s quicker than team-mate Sainz. Hamilton claimed fifth for Mercedes at this point, eight tenths off the pace, while Russell beat him on a second push lap on his first set of tyres.
Only the top three cars and the Mercedes duo didn’t run again on a second set of soft tyres, with Magnussen jumping up to fifth ahead of Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Lando Norris (McLaren), pushing the Mercedes back to the lower reaches of the top 10.
Falling at the first hurdle were Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Nico Hulkenberg (subbing for Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams).
Bahrain Grand Prix Q1 results: Leclerc fastest from Sainz
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 3 | 1'31.471 | 212.998 | ||
| 2 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 3 | 1'31.567 | 0.096 | 0.096 | 212.775 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 5 | 1'31.785 | 0.314 | 0.218 | 212.269 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 6 | 1'31.919 | 0.448 | 0.134 | 211.960 |
| 5 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 6 | 1'31.955 | 0.484 | 0.036 | 211.877 |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 6 | 1'32.041 | 0.570 | 0.086 | 211.679 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 9 | 1'32.096 | 0.625 | 0.055 | 211.553 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 8 | 1'32.239 | 0.768 | 0.143 | 211.225 |
| 9 | George Russell | Mercedes | 5 | 1'32.269 | 0.798 | 0.030 | 211.156 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 5 | 1'32.285 | 0.814 | 0.016 | 211.119 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 6 | 1'32.311 | 0.840 | 0.026 | 211.060 |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 5 | 1'32.346 | 0.875 | 0.035 | 210.980 |
| 13 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 6 | 1'32.380 | 0.909 | 0.034 | 210.902 |
| 14 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 6 | 1'32.493 | 1.022 | 0.113 | 210.645 |
| 15 | Alex Albon | Williams | 8 | 1'32.726 | 1.255 | 0.233 | 210.115 |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 8 | 1'32.750 | 1.279 | 0.024 | 210.061 |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | Aston Martin | 6 | 1'32.777 | 1.306 | 0.027 | 210.000 |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 8 | 1'32.945 | 1.474 | 0.168 | 209.620 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 6 | 1'33.032 | 1.561 | 0.087 | 209.424 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 8 | 1'33.634 | 2.163 | 0.602 | 208.078 |
| View full results | |||||||
What happened in Q2?
Verstappen dived straight into the 1m30s bracket, with a 1m30.757s that was six tenths clear of Leclerc and Perez. Magnussen was fourth fastest after the opening runs, despite suffering a hydraulic issue with his power steering, ahead of Hamilton and Russell.
Sainz then improved to second, 0.030s off Verstappen, on his new-tyre run with Leclerc 0.175s off the fastest time in third. Perez was fourth, ahead of Hamilton, Russell, Magnussen, Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Gasly and Bottas.
Knocked out at this point were Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Mick Schumacher (Haas), Norris, Alex Albon (Williams) and Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), the latter losing his best time due to exceeding track limits.
Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix Q2 results: Verstappen fastest from Sainz
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 3 | 1'30.757 | 214.674 | ||
| 2 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 6 | 1'30.787 | 0.030 | 0.030 | 214.603 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 6 | 1'30.932 | 0.175 | 0.145 | 214.261 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 6 | 1'31.008 | 0.251 | 0.076 | 214.082 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 6 | 1'31.048 | 0.291 | 0.040 | 213.988 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 | 1'31.252 | 0.495 | 0.204 | 213.509 |
| 7 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 3 | 1'31.461 | 0.704 | 0.209 | 213.021 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 6 | 1'31.621 | 0.864 | 0.160 | 212.649 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 6 | 1'31.635 | 0.878 | 0.014 | 212.617 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 6 | 1'31.717 | 0.960 | 0.082 | 212.427 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 6 | 1'31.782 | 1.025 | 0.065 | 212.276 |
| 12 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 5 | 1'31.998 | 1.241 | 0.216 | 211.778 |
| 13 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 6 | 1'32.008 | 1.251 | 0.010 | 211.755 |
| 14 | Alex Albon | Williams | 5 | 1'32.664 | 1.907 | 0.656 | 210.256 |
| 15 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 6 | 1'33.543 | 2.786 | 0.879 | 208.280 |
| View full results | |||||||
What happened in Q3?
On the first runs, Sainz set the bar at 1m30.687s, 0.044s faster than Leclerc. Verstappen was 0.012s off a front row spot in third, complaining about tyre temperature and out-lap speed, while Perez was fourth ahead of Hamilton and Russell – the Mercedes duo both setting their times on used softs.
On the final runs, Leclerc took pole with 1m30.558s while Verstappen ended up second, 0.123s slower. Sainz slipped to third, ahead of Perez, Hamilton, Bottas, Magnussen (who stopped at Turn 1 after completing his lap), Alonso, Russell and Gasly.
Bahrain Grand Prix Q3 results: Leclerc takes pole
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 6 | 1'30.558 | 215.146 | ||
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 6 | 1'30.681 | 0.123 | 0.123 | 214.854 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 6 | 1'30.687 | 0.129 | 0.006 | 214.840 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 6 | 1'30.921 | 0.363 | 0.234 | 214.287 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 6 | 1'31.238 | 0.680 | 0.317 | 213.542 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 3 | 1'31.560 | 1.002 | 0.322 | 212.791 |
| 7 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 3 | 1'31.808 | 1.250 | 0.248 | 212.216 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 3 | 1'32.195 | 1.637 | 0.387 | 211.325 |
| 9 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 | 1'32.216 | 1.658 | 0.021 | 211.277 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 6 | 1'32.338 | 1.780 | 0.122 | 210.998 |
| View full results | |||||||
