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F1 LIVE | Follow the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix here!
Max Verstappen will start the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, but Charles Leclerc and George Russell will be looking to attack from the next two grid positions. Lights will go out at the Bahrain International Circuit for the start of the first round in 2024 Formula 1 World Championship and you can follow the action with our liveblog below.
F1 LIVE | 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
What to expect in the Bahrain Grand Prix?
The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first event on the schedule in 2024, so there's always going to be lots of unknown factors. One thing is for sure, Verstappen looked very strong on the long run pace in Friday practice. With the Dutchman on pole, he is the favourite to take his first win of the season and his eighth consecutive win. Just two behind his record-breaking run in 2023.
Red Bull's rivals Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes were all pleased to be closer to Verstappen than they expected. They will be hunting down the Dutchman and trying to take advantage of the earlier DRS release. Sergio Perez starts in P5 so it will be interesting to see if the Mexican can make an advance through the field.
The starting grid for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc will share the front row with Verstappen. He is followed by George Russell and Carlos Sainz. Perez and Fernando Alonso round out the top six. McLaren hold the fourth row of the grid on a circuit that doesn't usually suit their car. Lewis Hamilton starts in 9th and there was a place inside the top ten for Haas' Nico Hulkenberg who completed a very impressive lap in Q2.
The rest of the grid is largely as you would expect, though there are two outliers. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon start from P19 and P20 in what was a horror qualifying session for Alpine. It was there worse nightmare.
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What is the weather forecast for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
As you would expect in Bahrain, it's sunny and dry during the day. During the week so far, the temperature has dropped significantly during the evening. This is when the race takes place. The temperature is expected to dip to 18c during the race. On Thursday and Friday, it was windy. However, the wind speed has reduced to around 6mph. There is 0% chance of rain.
Why is the Grand Prix taking place on Saturday?
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend must be finished on Saturday to allow enough time to travel to Saudi Arabia next weekend. The Saudi Arabian weekend has been moved forward a day to avoid a clash with Ramadan. Therefore, the weekend in Bahrain also needs to move forward one day. Two practice sessions took place on Thursday, with the third and final practice hour on Friday. Qualifying took place on Friday evening, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.