Verstappen is looking for his third consecutive world title. Last season, he won no less than fifteen Grands Prix, a record in Formula 1.
Verstappen, 25, has his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez at his side in the front row of the Sakhir circuit. Behind the two Red Bulls are Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Fernando Alonso, new to Aston Martin, qualified fifth. The Spaniard beat the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in qualifying.
Nyck de Vries starts his first grand prix at AlphaTauri since the last row. Fries, 28, who made his Formula 1 debut last year as a substitute for Williams, has gone no further than the 19th time. He has behind him only the Alpine pilot Pierre Gasly.
The first of this season’s 23 grand prix begins at 4 p.m.