Formula One world champion Max Verstappen got his title defence off to a flying start in Bahrain on Friday, snatching pole position away from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.228 seconds. It was a good start to the season for the Milton Keynes-based racing team, with Verstappen, who came from behind to win Q3 stating over the radio: ‘I think we did very well in that qualifying, we made the most of it!’. He added to Sky Sports after the race that to get pole in the first session of the season was ‘a little unexpected’ but added ‘the car came to him during qualifying’. That appeared to anger both Verstappen and Leclerc who lambasted the cars ahead of them over the radio. It was his 33rd career pole position, and from the previous 14 times he’s finished first in qualifying, the Dutchman has gone on to win the grand prix.

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