Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both said they expect their cars to be even better on Sunday despite dominating the final part of qualifying.
Red Bull secured a front-row lockout in Bahrain for the first time. Verstappen took pole position with team-mate Perez able to sneak into second, after Ferrari made the decision to save tyres and not send Charles Leclerc out for a second Q3 run.
Ferrari had to settle for third and fourth on the grid, while Fernando Alonso steered a very competitive-looking Aston Martin to fifth. Mercedes, therefore, had to settle for having George Russell sixth on the grid and Lewis Hamilton one place further back.
