SEPANG, Oct 3 — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang today, beating Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari driver produced a superb late lap to secure his first front-row start since Barcelona.
The four-time world champion ultimately secured pole with a lap of 1min 35.130sec, finishing 0.298sec ahead of Hamilton, who jumped onto the front row in the closing moments of Q3.
The result was a significant breakthrough for Verstappen, who sits sixth in the drivers’ standings after a season in which he has yet to win a race.
“Great job guys, car felt great!” Hamilton said over team radio after completing the lap, according to The Guardian’s ‘live’ coverage.
