Sakhir, Mar 19 (AP) Ferrari's Charles Leclerc stunned Formula One champion Max Verstappen by taking a brilliant pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.

Verstappen was .015 seconds ahead of Leclerc on the last time split but the Red Bull star lost time to finish .123 seconds behind as his old teenage karting rival clinched the 10th pole position of his career.

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Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton made up ground for Mercedes on his final run but starts from a disappointing fifth place, behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr in third.

Hamilton's ex-teammate Valtteri Bottas made it a sore day for Mercedes by placing sixth for his new team Alfa Romeo, while his replacement George Russell was only ninth after a poor last run. AP

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)