The 2019 Formula One season is underway and continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday morning. The action will be broadcast by ESPN beginning at 11 a.m. ET (live streaming via WatchESPN, ESPN App, F1 TV Pro). Charles Leclerc of Ferrari has pole position, beating out teammate Sebastian Vettel in just his second race with the team.
F1 2019 live stream: Bahrain Grand Prix start time, TV schedule, and. how to watch online
Charles Leclerc has his first Formula One pole as we head into the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Ferrari were consistently the fastest team in preseason testing, but Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes took a one-two finish in Australia, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull also finished above both Ferrari cars. Both Mercedes and Red Bull seem to be handling the aerodynamics side of the sport a bit better, though Ferrari has the straight-line speed.
And they used that speed to grab the top two spots in qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday.
“I’m extremely happy,” Leclerc said. “Obviously in the last race I was not very happy with my qualifying, I did some mistakes in Q3 and I really worked hard to try and not do the same mistakes here. And it seems like we did quite a good job.
“I have learned a lot from him and I will probably learn [more]. But today I’m very happy to be in front him so it’s a good day for me.”
Hamilton admitted that the Ferrari cars were quicker on the straights.
“In the straights was really where we lost a lot of time,” Hamilton said. “[Straight] Sector we’re losing three tenths, two-tenths, just on straight-line speed. So that’s a significant amount.”
Hamilton qualified third behind Vettel, and Bottas qualified fourth. Verstappen has fifth, while his former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, is just on the edge of the points places in 10th. Ricciardo struggled in his first race with Renault, and for the time being, it seems like a serious step back for him.
Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Carlos Saintz Jr. of McLaren, Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo and Lando Norris is McLaren round out the remainder of the top 10.
Below is all you need to watch the action on Sunday, including the full starting grid.
How to watch the 2019 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
Date: Sunday, March 31
Location: Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
Time: 11 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
2019 Bahrain Grand Prix Starting Grid
Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:27.866 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:28.160 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:28.190 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:28.256 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:28.752 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:28.757 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr. | McLaren | 1:28.813 |
| Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo | 1:29.022 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:29.043 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:29.488 |
| Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:29.015 |
| Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 1:29.513 |
| Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 1:29.526 |
| Sergio Pérez | Racing Point | 1:29.756 |
| Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:29.854 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1:30.026 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:30.034 |
| Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1:30.217 |
| George Russell | Williams | 1:31.759 |
| Robert Kubica | Williams | 1:31.799 |
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