WATCH: “Wasn’t the fastest driver,” Damon Hill TRASHES Max Verstappen’s pole position Qualifying lap at Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen qualified in pole position for Bahrain GP despite not scoring the fastest lap of the session.

WATCH: “Wasn’t the fastest driver,” Damon Hill TRASHES Max Verstappen’s pole position Qualifying lap at Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen and Damon Hill (via IMAGO), Damon Hill commenting on Max Verstappen (via @SkySportsF1/X).

The Qualifying session for the season opener of Bahrain GP was led by Max Verstappen scoring the pole position. The Dutchman was followed by Charles Leclerc in second who missed the pole by just 0.228s of a gap. Hence, Damon Hill shared his piece of mind over this and did not side with the reigning world champion over the sitch.

Hill mentioned how it was a ‘curious anomaly’ of how Max Verstappen achieved the pole position despite not scoring the fastest lap. The 63-year-old mentioned that the Dutchman was ‘not the fastest driver’ on the grid but still scored the pole position. This comment was made since Leclerc scored the fastest lap during the Q2 session but failed to score pole position due to a slower lap time in Q3.

This is quite a curious anomaly, Max is not the fastest man today on the circuit. Yet, he's on the pole position...Charles Leclerc in the Q2, nicked him by a tiny fraction.
Hill told Sky Sports F1.

Hence, even Leclerc had highlighted his disappointment with the session. Even, Damon Hill mentioned how the Monegasque was nicked by a tiny fraction from scoring the pole position of the session. Hence, the main race would see Max Verstappen start the race from the front row alongside Charles Leclerc. Ferrari has been showcasing great pace and performance down the session and hence the driver could potentially lead the race into turn 1.

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Will Max Verstappen win the Bahrain GP?

The Dutchman has finally qualified in the pole position for the race. Additionally, Milton Keynes has once again built a dominant RB20 for the 2024 campaign. Hence, the entire season could be a repeat of the 2023 season with Red Bull dominating the entirety of the season. Rivals teams and drivers had accepted their fate for the 2024 season in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen at the Dutch Grand Prix
Max Verstappen at the Dutch Grand Prix (via IMAGO)

The reigning world champion previously talked highly about the RB20 and how it produced great results. Even Lewis Hamilton accepted how Verstappen would likely win the 2024 campaign in Formula 1. However, even Ferrari has been showing improving pace in practice sessions as well as qualifying. Hence, the teams would showcase great racing action in all the orders of the grid.

The excitement levels rise through the roof for the fans and drivers alike. The teams have been working very hard over the break to match the dominant Red Bulls, if not overtake their pace during races. Hence, the season would showcase how well the rival teams have coped against developing resilience to Milton Keynes’ dominating performance.

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