Luca Ghiotto on pole in Bahrain

The first qualifying session of the season was eagerly awaited, particularly due to the presence on the grid of Mick Schumacher (Prema Racing). But it was Nicholas Latifi (Dams) who was the first to set a significant time in 1'41''389, close to the pole position signed a year ago by Lando Norris: 1'41''761. But a few minutes later, the red flag was waved following Callum Ilott (Sauber Junior Team by Charouz) going off the track.

Published on 29/03/2019 à 15:37

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The first qualifying session of the season was eagerly awaited, particularly due to the presence on the grid of Mick Schumacher (Prema Racing). But it's good Nicholas latifi (Dams) who is the first to sign a significant time in 1'41"389, close to the pole position signed a year ago by Lando Norris : 1’41”761. But a few minutes later, the red flag was waved following Callum Ilott (Sauber Junior Team by Charouz) going off the track.

When the green flag is waved, the drivers still have 17 minutes left to make a difference. The fact remains that no one manages to come close to the Canadian's time... who even drops it 11 minutes from the end of the session by passing 1'40"964!

Jack Aitken (Campos Racing) managed to get within 0" before climbing out of the cockpit and watching the end of the session from the pit lane. If Latifi thinks the hardest part is done, Nyck de Vries (ART Grand Prix) climbed to the top of the hierarchy in 1'40"889, but the Dutchman was immediately dislodged by Louis Delétraz (Carlin) author of a lap in 1'40"871 then by Luca Ghiotto (UNI- Virtuosi Racing), who only took 1'40"504 to complete the Sakhir circuit.

The hierarchy will no longer move. Aged 24 and F2 since 2017, the Italian has taken his first pole in the discipline ahead of Delétraz, De Vries, Latifi and Aitken.

Three rows behind his teammate Sean Gelael, Mick Schumacher set the 10th time, 1”0 from the reference mark and finished this session just ahead of the first Frenchman, Anthoine Hubert (Arden).

Fifteenth, Giovani Alesi (Trident) is ahead of Dorian Boccolacci (Campos Racing), while Colombian Tatiana Calderon (Arden) is 19th and penultimate, 2”3 from pole position.