Red Bull and Ferrari set for Bahrain GP duel as Formula 1 season opener welcomes new fight at the front

Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc for pole at the Bahrain GP? The verdicts from Red Bull, Ferrari and the Sky Sports F1 after Friday practice; Watch final practice and qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 on Saturday

Red Bull believe Ferrari are their main competitors at the Bahrain GP this weekend after a “very quick” start to Formula 1 2022 – with the Sky Sports F1 pundits predicting a Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc battle for pole position.

Reigning world champion Verstappen ended the first day of the new season on top with a leading time of 1:31.936 in Practice Two, but Ferrari lived up to a complimentary billing with Leclerc just 0.087s off the pace, while his team-mate Carlos Sainz was third-fastest.

Mercedes have dominated the last eight seasons of F1 but the, albeit early, signs are that Bahrain looks set for an all-new fight at the front.

“I think Ferrari are very, very quick,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. “You can see Leclerc today was quick, Sainz was quick.

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Max Verstappen is pleased with the start Red Bull have made but he’s refusing to get too carried away ahead of the opening race of the season

“Whenever they’ve been on track during pre-season they’ve looked very impressive, so I think they could well be the car to beat tomorrow.”

Verstappen added: “You can see Ferrari is pushing hard and they’re very close. But that’s exciting as well and we have to wait and see a little bit for engine modes tomorrow and see where we all are.”

Ferrari are F1’s most historic and successful team but are without a championship since 2008 and have languished in the midfield for the past two seasons.

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Sky F1’s David Croft reviews the best of the action from Friday’s practice sessions in Bahrain

“It’s great to see Ferrari back and competitive,” stated Horner. “They’ve been a giant that’s been quiet the last couple of years and they were always going to get it together.

“They started very early on this project [the new 2022 cars] and they’ve come out with a great car.

“I’m just delighted with our car, that after the intensity of last year, we’ve managed to hit the track running with a decent package that we can develop and evolve through the season.”

Sky Sports F1 pundits on Red Bull vs Ferrari

Damon Hill: “I think it could be very close [between Verstappen and Leclerc]. I just think Red Bull have got something in their back pocket, they’re just not showing us, it all looked a bit too easy for Max.

“Ferraris do look good, but keep your powder dry.”

Karun Chandhok: “Really very impressive from Ferrari, I think they’ve come out the blocks strong. Interested to see when we get to qualifying where it really matters if they’re in that fight. The engines will all still be in practice mode.

“But my gut tells me we’ve got Verstappen vs Leclerc for poll.”

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Charles Leclerc is aiming to take pole in his Ferrari in Saturday’s qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Ferrari happy to be ‘in the mix’

Even after a very strong pre-season testing, Ferrari were downplaying their hopes heading into the season-opener. But while they are not getting carried away by Friday practice, they are certainly happy with their progress.

“With what we’ve seen today, it starts to be a bit more representative,” said Leclerc.

“OK, nobody is on the limit but there hasn’t been any bad surprises, which is a good sign.

“It seems that we are in the mix more or less which is good, it gives us a bit of a smile but there’s still work to do tomorrow and hopefully we are able to fight for pole.”

Sainz, who was half a second off in P2, continued: “It’s been a positive start for the team. We are confirming a bit the good feeling from testing.”

Bahrain GP live schedule on Sky Sports F1

Saturday, March 19
9.55am: F3 Sprint Race
11.45am: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts 12pm)
2pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying Build-up
3pm BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
4.35pm: F2 Sprint Race
5.35pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday, March 20
8.55am: F3 Feature Race
10.35am: F2 Feature Race
1.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Bahrain
3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: Bahrain
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
7pm: Bahrain GP Highlights

Many of our shows will also be simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix.

All of Friday’s live action can be watched on Sky Sports Main Event, while Saturday’s qualifying will be on the channel from 2.45pm, as well as the F2 Sprint Race (4.35pm) and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook (5.35pm).