The start of a new Formula 1 season didn't bring a change in the competitive order as Max Verstappen swept to his 33rd career pole position, but the Red Bull driver did face stiff competition from Charles Leclerc in particular in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying.
Here's what the order looked like following an intense first qualifying session of the 2024 F1 season.
Qualifying result
| Pos | Name | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | 1m30.031s | 1m29.374s | 1m29.179s |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m30.243s | 1m29.165s | 1m29.407s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1m30.350s | 1m29.922s | 1m29.485s |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1m29.909s | 1m29.573s | 1m29.507s |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | 1m30.221s | 1m29.932s | 1m29.537s |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1m30.179s | 1m29.801s | 1m29.542s |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m30.143s | 1m29.941s | 1m29.614s |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m30.531s | 1m30.122s | 1m29.683s |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m30.451s | 1m29.718s | 1m29.710s |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1m30.566s | 1m29.851s | 1m30.502s |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | 1m30.481s | 1m30.129s | |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1m29.965s | 1m30.200s | |
| 13 | Alex Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1m30.397s | 1m30.221s | |
| 14 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT | 1m30.562s | 1m30.278s | |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1m30.646s | 1m30.529s | |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari | 1m30.756s | ||
| 17 | Guanyu Zhou | Sauber-Ferrari | 1m30.757s | ||
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 1m30.770s | ||
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1m30.793s | ||
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1m30.948s |
