Verstappen gives competition hope with 'small' lead in Bahrain

It had been a late night for most journalists Thursday. At 11pm, I left the media centre with two colleagues. There were not many journalists left in the media centre. Most had moved to an area slightly outside the circuit.

Indeed, everyone had missed the moment for dinner at the circuit because of all the news. The catering closed at nine o'clock and with all the news surrounding Horner, nobody had had the chance to take a quiet break for an evening meal. So you saw many a journalist sitting in the KFC, Foodtruckers or McDonalds. We went to the latter, where we subsequently bumped into other journalists.

A meal and a lot of work later, it was time to go home at around half past one. A 'late night' is possible in itself. In Bahrain, the sessions are mainly run at the end of the day, so in principle, you can go to the track a bit later.

The start of the Formula 2 season with Bearman

Nevertheless, I arrived at the circuit only an hour later than usual on Thursday. The media centre is then still fairly empty. At half past 11, there is a moment for relaxation. The organisation in Bahrain has invited journalists to come to go-karting. You don't have to ask me twice. After a points finish in the Alpine tournament, I now finish sixth twice out of 11 participants.

After karting, work starts again. I have an appointment at Ferrari, where I sat down with Oliver Bearman. The full interview will soon appear on GPblog.com. Bearman is a cheerful and open guy. Full of ambition to make it to F1, clear goals on how he wants to achieve them and, above all, very friendly.

I already spoke to Bearman last year at Zandvoort. Back then, his weekend did not go to plan. So I will mention that fate was not kind to him in that respect. After all, Bearman qualified P18 after major problems with the setup for Prema. The race was not much better. Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, surely the two big title favourites, finished outside the points in the sprint race.

Horner again the talk of the day in Bahrain

On the day of qualifying again, the talk is still long about Horner. In the paddock, we are told that there is a meeting between Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem. A meeting is held more often, but that does not alter the fact that the subject of Horner is also high on the agenda at this meeting. During the third free practice session, it is no different. Horner disappears from the pit wall for a brief conversation with Ben Sulayem. Later there will be a longer conversation between the two and Domenicali.

The FIA and F1 are exploring what they want to do about the matter. First, whether they would like more transparency about the investigation, as competitors would like. Secondly, they will also look into the possible leak on Thursday, given that the source had access to all email details of people within F1.

A second email thankfully remains unsent, although it was long anticipated. To the relief of many, the focus could be on qualifying. The outcome: Verstappen takes pole again.

Verstappen fastest, but not as fast as expected

Verstappen is also the big favourite for Sunday's race. The Dutchman was already the strongest in terms of the longrun on Friday. Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri were closest to Verstappen then, but Perez starts from P5 and Piastri from P8. Charles Leclerc and George Russell, who start the race behind Verstappen, were on average more than half a second per lap slower in the longrun.

The only danger for Verstappen lies in the new rule that DRS opens after just one lap. Whereas last year Verstappen had three laps to drive the number two by more than a second, now it has to be done in one lap.

After qualifying, the drivers report to 'the square'. The square is there for television, next to it is a place for the written media. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are surprisingly optimistic after finishing 19th and 20th. The question, though, is how long they can keep that mask on. At Haas, on the contrary, the mood is positive. The team seemed to start at the back, but Nico Hulkenberg got as far as Q3. The German was therefore in very good spirits.

Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, was very critical of his own performance in qualifying. Visa Cash App RB were seen as a contender for Q3, but neither driver got very far. Yuki Tsunoda was more satisfied with his performance though and hopes to have better race pace on Saturday.

Up front, people are also optimistic. After the winter test, everyone thought Max Verstappen already had the title, but the competition now smells an opportunity. Verstappen is faster than the rest, but not as much faster than people expected. Lewis Hamilton was even optimistic. No, he himself had not been able to make the most of his qualifying due to a wrong setup, but the fact that George Russell was so close to Verstappen made him optimistic for the rest of the season.

The same sound was heard at the final media session of the day. Indeed, McLaren is holding its own press event in the hospitality area, allowing more time for questions. There was little confidence beforehand, especially at a track that does not suit the MCL38. The fact that both drivers qualified just two tenths behind P2 was therefore very satisfying. "Red Bull did not even look that good," Piastri stated cautiously.

It's finally back to racing and it seems positive too. Yes, Verstappen is the fastest in qualifying and possibly also in the race, but the competition is very close. Besides, the numbers two to nine qualified within three tenths of each other. On to the race!