Liam Lawson is back with the Racing Bulls team. Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson has endured another difficult day behind the wheel in Formula 1, qualifying 17th fastest for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
An issue with the DRS wing on his Racing Bulls car didn't help Lawson's chances as he was among the five drivers eliminated in the first round of qualifying.
It continued a troubled start to the season for Lawson, who was demoted to Racing Bulls from Red Bull after struggling in rounds in Melbourne and Shanghai.
He remained outside the points in his first race for Racing Bulls at Suzuka, placing 17th, with that outcome thrown into contrast by the result of young French team-mate Isack Hadjer, who was eighth.
Hadjar was solid again in Bahrain qualifying, placing 12th, with his best lap time nearly a second faster than Lawson's.
Piastri pole
McLaren's Oscar Piastri took pole position in Bahrain ahead of his 50th Formula 1 start, with George Russell putting his Mercedes alongside the Australian on the front row for Monday morning's race.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Piastri's championship-leading teammate Lando Norris qualified only sixth, a potentially significant blow in the title battle although closest rival Max Verstappen will start seventh for Red Bull.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified third and Mercedes' Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli fourth with Alpine's Pierre Gasly fifth.
Piastri, who was also fastest in two out of three practice sessions, lapped the floodlit Sakhir circuit with a best time of one minute 29.841 seconds, 0.168 faster than Russell. The pole was his second of the season and his career.
"I've felt confident out there pretty much all weekend," said Piastri, who has a great chance to slash the 13-point championship gap to Norris - who leads Verstappen by just one after three races.
"The others caught up a little bit closer than what I wanted but I still delivered the laps when it mattered, which was the most important thing at the end."
Russell said he was shocked to finish so close to Piastri after struggling for grip in the afternoon's final practice.
"I think if anybody said we'd have been within half a second of the McLarens we'd have taken it because we would have thought that would have been P3 on the grid. So to be second on the grid is a bonus," he said.
"So lining up P2 is a great chance for tomorrow, but I think being realistic it will be a challenge to fight with Oscar."
Carlos Sainz qualified eighth for Williams, with Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton ninth and Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda 10th.
Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari Photo: PHOTOSPORT
It was the first time this season that both Red Bulls had reached the final top 10 shootout.
Esteban Ocon crashed his Haas in the second phase, triggering red flags after he careered backwards across the gravel into the barriers.
The Frenchman said he was okay, but took his time clambering out and was taken away in the medical car.
Australian rookie Jack Doohan qualified his Alpine 11th, his best qualifying session yet, and one place ahead of Hadjar.
Alex Albon failed to make it through the opening phase for the first time this season, the Williams driver qualifying only 16th.
Albon was then promoted to 15th - but too late to continue in the session - when Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg had his lap deleted.
- Reuters / RNZ
