Valtteri Bottas will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position after setting the pace in qualifying for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
The Finnish driver looked close to Lewis Hamilton in the first two segments of qualifying but trailed his Mercedes team-mate.
Bottas held onto second place after the opening runs of Q3, but put in a 1:28.769 to take provisional pole. Hamilton suffered a poor final part of the lap and couldn’t beat him.
So, Bottas clinched his first pole position and put in the quickest ever lap of the Bahrain International Circuit, with Hamilton locking out the front row.
Sebastian Vettel was a slightly distant third, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
Both Renault cars made it through to Q3, with Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer seventh and 10th, separated by Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean.
Daniil Kvyat ran wide on his last Q2 lap and was the first to be eliminated in 11th, with Lance Stroll 12th for Williams, ahead of the returning Pascal Wehrlein.
Esteban Ocon could only manage 14th, with Fernando Alonso failing to set a time after a power unit problem.
Carlos Sainz Jr. stopped on track in Q1 and was the first to be eliminated, with Stoffel Vandoorne also dropping out.
Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen were 18th and 20th after being held up by the yellow flags for Sainz’s stranded Toro Rosso, separated by Marcus Ericsson.
