F1 Bahrain Grand Prix preview: It's a competitive field behind Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen will start the Grand Prix on the pole for the 33rd time in his racing career. The Red Bull driver and defending world champion cruised to first in qualifying after a strong Q3 performance. Fans frustrated by Verstappen's dominance in 2023 will be disappointed to see that he's still a clear two-tenths of a second ahead of the grid on per-lap qualifying pace.

But beyond Verstappen's obvious class, things look very different compared to 2023 elsewhere on the grid.

Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin found their top drivers bunched behind Verstappen, with just two tenths of a second separating Charles Leclerc in second from Lando Norris in seventh. While McLaren is expected to falter over the course of Saturday's Grand Prix — the Bahrain circuit does not suit its car — the other three teams should remain in the mix for a podium position.

At the bottom of the midfield, Williams and Visa Cash App RB appear to be duking it out for sixth and seventh in the Constructor Standings. Both teams have improved upon their 2023 vehicles and look primed to deliver surprising results.

Below them, it's a battle for scraps among Haas, Kick Sauber and Alpine. The real surprise in this group is Alpine, the French manufacturing team that finished last season in sixth. After overhauling its 2023 car and producing a new design for this season, Alpine finds itself slow, ungainly and overweight. Its cars finished last in qualifying, nearly a full second per lap behind the leaders.

The Bahrain Grand Prix became the first F1 race in the Middle East when it joined the calendar in 2004. (Fernando Alonso, the oldest driver on the grid at 42, raced in the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix.) The race has served as regular-season opener since replacing Australia's Albert Park in 2006, and it's known for two things: speed and grip.

The speed comes from the track layout, designed by famed German engineer Hermann Tilke. It's a combination of fast corners and long straights that feed into one another to create a "snowball" effect when each turn apex is hit correctly.

Tows — otherwise known as blasts of air from quick-moving cars ahead — can create big speed gains for drivers, particularly on the last straight. Verstappen got one from the unwitting McLaren driver Oscar Piastri when he set his fastest time in qualifying.

The grip comes from the asphalt itself, but this year, it may disappear. The country is in the middle of an unseasonable cold front, with track temperatures hovering around 69 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a full 25 degrees cooler than the average F1 track temperature, making it difficult for tires to warm up and "melt" into the track effectively. 

Watch out for drivers skidding and slipping in Turn 6 — it's the coolest part of the track and thus caused several drivers to struggle through it in their qualifying runs.

The Bahrain Grand Prix begins Saturday morning at 10 ET.