Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix – as George Russell’s outside title hopes were dealt a significant blow after he qualified only eighth.
Verstappen delivered an emphatic lap on F1’s return to Malaysia – with Sunday’s rearranged Bahrain round taking place at the Sepang International Circuit because of the conflict in the Middle East – to take his first pole since the concluding round in Abu Dhabi last December.