Charles Leclerc pipped current Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen to the first pole position of the year at ܫthe Bahrain International Circuit.

Leclerc trailed Ferrari teammate Carlosꦡ Sainz after the first runs in Q3, but a superb last-ditch effort put him top of the pile to secure pole position ahead of Verstappen. 

Since making their respective F1 debuts, Verstappen and Leclerc have e✱stabl💦ished themselves as two of the most aggressive drivers on the grid.

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With the pair set to battle it out for the victory, F1 could be set for some early fireworks in the🎃 first round of the 2022 season.

Fireworks at the front?

A front-row shared by Leclerc and Verstappen is a taཧsty proposition as the fight for 🐽supremacy begins in Bahrain. 

The 2021 title race was dominated by numerous on-track battles between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, with the latter often backing down to avoid an incident (Silverstone aside). ও;

It remains to be seen whether Leclerc will be willing to do the same given he hasn’t stood on the top step since 2019 and unlike Hamilton, doesn’t have countless grand prix victories and titles already under hiꦗs belt.

Even in Leclerc’s first year with Ferrari, we saw a glimpse into this poꦗtential rivalry with Verstappen when the pair battled hard for the victory at the Red Bull Ring in 201🌱9.

The Dutchman came out on top as he pushed Leclerܫc off the track at Turn 3 in a typical aggressive Verstappen fashion to win the 2019 Austrian Grand 𒊎Prix.

It was a useful lesson for the Monegasque as 🌞the pair went wheel-to-wheel in Britain a couple of rounds later with Leclerc considerably more aggressive.

The duo’s rivalry stems back to karting with a highly-watched YouTube video of a young Leclerc and Verstappen both angry after a race during th🎉eir junior days.

It’s only the first race of the season but both d𝐆rivers will be keen to lay down an early marker and won’t want to give any incentiv﷽e to each other.

Can Mercedes challenge?

Mercedes endured one of its worst qualifying performances in the hybrid era as Lewis 𝔉Hamilton could only manage fifth on the grid, just under 0.7s off Leclerc. 

It was unclear throughout testing and Friday practice 𝄹if Mercedes was sandbagging or whether its W13 curren♐tly lacks raw speed. 

The latter appears to be the case at present with 🍸Mercedes clearly the third-fastest team but with the 𓄧development race expected to be at a rapid rate in 2022, it would be foolish to rule out the eight-time champions as the season progresses. 

For the pres♛ent time at least, it seems Mercedes isn’t a match forಞ Red Bull or Ferrari even in race trim.

Hamilton has already played down Mercedes’ chances, conceding that both teams are “in another league” and revealed it was one-second shyꦯ during the FP2 race 💧simulations.

It’s probably goin🍰g to be a case of damage limitation for Hamilton, while teammate George Russell will have to get past his predecessor Valtteri Bottas after a poor day left him down🌳 in ninth.

F1’s new cars put to the test

F1’s ne🌃w rules are being put to th🐲e test for the first time as all 20 cars will be out on track battling for position in Bahrain.

One of the big reasons for F1’s shake-up for this year with its technical regula𓆏tions was to ‘improve the show’ and allow drivers to follo🥂w each other more easily.

Simplified aerodynamic conce🌊pts, the introduction of the ground effect floor and 18-inch tyres are all expected to improve the racing.

The early signs based on what t𓃲he drivers have said during pre-season testing has been positive but this is the acid test as to whether F1’s new generation of cars can achieve what Ross Brawn and h❀is team hoped for when the regulations were devised.

wuqian0821.com’s Prediction

The battle at the front looks to be between two teams with Ferrari 𓄧and Red Bull locking out the front two rows on the 𝓀grid. 

Redᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Bull had the best race pace on Friday and without Verstappen’s small wobble at the final corn𒁃er, he could have been on pole position.

It’s going to be tight at th🔜e f⛎ront meaning emphasis will be placed on the teams as a two-stop strategy is expected given the high tyre degradation in Bahrain.

Red Bull is usually switched on when it comes to strategy and with Sergio Perez in the mix - one of the best when it𒆙 comes to looking after his 🍨tyres - the Milton Keynes outfit would be a safe bet to improve on its qualifying position on race day.

Sticking with my pre-race weekend prediction of Verstappen winning the Bahrain GP ahead of Leclerc, while Perez♕ will get ahead of Sainz for third.

Third: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

Second: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)