- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Show Preview
The 2024 Formula One world championship is officially underway, with a record-breaking 24-race season commencing under the lights of Bahrain on a Saturday evening. Tune in on The Roar with live blog coverage from 1:50am (AEDT).
Pre-season wrapped up at this 5.4km technical circuit and now the drivers will turn their wheels in anger across 57 laps for the grand prix itself.
Pirelli, like 2023, have brought the C1 to C3 compounds of tyre too – the hardest in their range – for what should be a two-stop race.
Three practice sessions so far have done little to show a definitive leader, as neither hour ended up being topped by a Red Bull or reigning three-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull sister team led first practice ahead of McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – who stand poles apart from this time last year. While Lewis Hamilton, also in a dramatically improved Mercedes led FP2, before Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari topped the final session.
Such mixed results between multiple teams will potentially make the grand prix a tantalising affair.
While in qualifying, it was very much a feeling of normal service has resumed at the end of Q3 as Verstappen claimed a 34th career pole position – 0.228 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, who was initially the favourite.
0.363 seconds covered the top six with George Russell and Fernando Alonso joining the respective Red Bull and Ferrari teammates of Verstappen and Leclerc at the head of the field. Norris will lead Piastri off the fourth row of the grid, while Lewis Hamilton finds himself ninth with a 0.531-second margin to pole.
Ricciardo will have to try his chances at points from outside the top-ten, though was outqualified by his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda; while for Alpine, it was a dire session, with both Renault works cars the slowest overall.
Verstappen and Leclerc barrelling into Turn 1 seems a mouth-watering notion for the first race, though with the long-run pace that Red Bull demonstrated in testing and the inherent race-pace deficit Ferrari has – it is difficult not to look past the Dutchman.
Given that it is the first race of the new season, though, the idea that anything can happen brings plenty of optimism for a fascinating 57 laps ahead.
Lights out: 2am (AEDT)
Venue: Sakhir International Circuit, Bahrain
TV: Fox Sports
Online: Kayo Sports
2023 winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 3. George Russell (Mercedes), 4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), 5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull), 6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 7. Lando Norris (McLaren), 8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 10. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), 11. Yuki Tsunoda (RB), 12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 13. Alexander Albon (Williams), 14. Daniel Ricciardo (RB), 15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 16. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), 17. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber), 18. Logan Sargeant (Williams), 19. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 20. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Hide Preview
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.