Prediction: Fireworks between Leclerc and Verstappen in F1's Bahrain GP?

Charles Leclerc pipped current Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen to the first pole position of the year at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Leclerc trailed Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz after the first runs in Q3, but a superb last-ditch effort put him top of the pile to secure pole position ahead of Verstappen. 

Since making their respective F1 debuts, Verstappen and Leclerc have established themselves as two of the most aggressive drivers on the grid.

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With the pair set to battle it out for the victory, F1 could be set for some early fireworks in the first round of the 2022 season.

Fireworks at the front?

A front-row shared by Leclerc and Verstappen is a tasty proposition as the fight for supremacy begins in Bahrain. 

The 2021 title race was dominated by numerous on-track battles between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, with the latter often backing down to avoid an incident (Silverstone aside). 

It remains to be seen whether Leclerc will be willing to do the same given he hasn’t stood on the top step since 2019 and unlike Hamilton, doesn’t have countless grand prix victories and titles already under his belt.

Even in Leclerc’s first year with Ferrari, we saw a glimpse into this potential rivalry with Verstappen when the pair battled hard for the victory at the Red Bull Ring in 2019.

The Dutchman came out on top as he pushed Leclerc off the track at Turn 3 in a typical aggressive Verstappen fashion to win the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix.

It was a useful lesson for the Monegasque as the pair went wheel-to-wheel in Britain a couple of rounds later with Leclerc considerably more aggressive.

The duo’s rivalry stems back to karting with a highly-watched YouTube video of a young Leclerc and Verstappen both angry after a race during their junior days.

It’s only the first race of the season but both drivers will be keen to lay down an early marker and won’t want to give any incentive to each other.

Can Mercedes challenge?

Mercedes endured one of its worst qualifying performances in the hybrid era as Lewis Hamilton could only manage fifth on the grid, just under 0.7s off Leclerc. 

It was unclear throughout testing and Friday practice if Mercedes was sandbagging or whether its W13 currently lacks raw speed. 

The latter appears to be the case at present with Mercedes clearly the third-fastest team but with the development race expected to be at a rapid rate in 2022, it would be foolish to rule out the eight-time champions as the season progresses. 

For the present time at least, it seems Mercedes isn’t a match for Red Bull or Ferrari even in race trim.

Hamilton has already played down Mercedes’ chances, conceding that both teams are “in another league” and revealed it was one-second shy during the FP2 race simulations.

It’s probably going to be a case of damage limitation for Hamilton, while teammate George Russell will have to get past his predecessor Valtteri Bottas after a poor day left him down in ninth.

F1’s new cars put to the test

F1’s new rules are being put to the test for the first time as all 20 cars will be out on track battling for position in Bahrain.

One of the big reasons for F1’s shake-up for this year with its technical regulations was to ‘improve the show’ and allow drivers to follow each other more easily.

Simplified aerodynamic concepts, the introduction of the ground effect floor and 18-inch tyres are all expected to improve the racing.

The early signs based on what the drivers have said during pre-season testing has been positive but this is the acid test as to whether F1’s new generation of cars can achieve what Ross Brawn and his team hoped for when the regulations were devised.

Crash.net’s Prediction

The battle at the front looks to be between two teams with Ferrari and Red Bull locking out the front two rows on the grid. 

Red Bull had the best race pace on Friday and without Verstappen’s small wobble at the final corner, he could have been on pole position.

It’s going to be tight at the front meaning emphasis will be placed on the teams as a two-stop strategy is expected given the high tyre degradation in Bahrain.

Red Bull is usually switched on when it comes to strategy and with Sergio Perez in the mix - one of the best when it comes to looking after his tyres - the Milton Keynes outfit would be a safe bet to improve on its qualifying position on race day.

Sticking with my pre-race weekend prediction of Verstappen winning the Bahrain GP ahead of Leclerc, while Perez will get ahead of Sainz for third.

Third: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

Second: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)