- Red Bull take front of grid while Fernando Alonso is fifth
- Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in third; Mercedes are sixth and seventh
For some time in the buildup to the opening qualifying session of the new Formula One season, there was a frisson of excitement in Bahrain it was impossible to ignore. Was change in the air? Might F1’s wiliest, oldest dog, Fernando Alonso, have a lesson left in him for the young pups of the new generation?
Well Alonso wagged his tail with a gleeful abandon that was infectious but when it all shook down F1’s new season pecking order remained firmly under the iron grip of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
