HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from a tight qualifying battle in Bahrain as Verstappen leads Red Bull 1-2

Max Verstappen will head a Red Bull front row at Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, as the Dutch driver qualified on pole for the 21st time in his career – ahead of his team mate Sergio Perez and rival Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen set a time of 1m 29.846s on his final run in Q3, to lead Perez by 0.138s, with Leclerc – who only went for one run in Q3 – finishing 0.292s behind the reigning world champion, with the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz rounding out the top four.

READ MORE: Verstappen beats Perez to pole for 2023 opener in Bahrain GP qualifying thriller

Fernando Alonso was fifth fastest for Aston Martin, qualifying ahead of both the Mercedes drivers, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton set to start from sixth and seventh respectively on the grid.

It was not a qualifying without drama, as a few drivers sustained damage to their cars, such as Leclerc in the early stages of Q1 and Williams’ Alex Albon on his aborted flying lap in Q2.

Click on the video player above to relive the action from a tense qualifying battle in Bahrain, as we get set for an exciting season opening Grand Prix on Sunday at 1800 local time.