FERRARI's Charles Leclerc is all set to take his maiden pole position in Bahrain. The 21-year-old beat team-mate Sebastien Vettel in second place on the grid, whilst Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas took third and fourth for Mercedes. 1 Valtteri Bottas won the first race of the season in Australia - his first victory since Abu Dhabi 2017 Credit: AFP or licensors When is the Bahrain Grand Prix? The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, March 31. The race will start at 4.10pm UK time - that's 7.10pm in Sakhir.. Who is in pole position? Pole position: Charles Leclerc 2nd: Sebastian Vettel 3rd: Lewis Hamilton Most Read in F1 LEW FOOLS Hamilton told by Mercedes it WAS their fault over call that caused Monaco flop COP'S DAUGHTER Who is Max Mosley's wife Jean? 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Friday's First Practice coverage from 10.45am, followed by Second Practice at 2.45pm will only be shown live on Sky Sports F1. Practice Three on Saturday will also be on Sky Sports F1 from 11.45am. Meanwhile, you can catch qualifying on Sky One and Sky Sports F1 from 2pm. Where is the Bahrain Grand Prix held? This will be the 15th time Bahrain has held a Grand Prix, all coming from the Bahrain International Circuit. The first was held in 2004, having held a race every since - except for 2011 because of protests in the country. The track has two circuits, with the 3.3-mile Sakhir Grand Prix Circuit the normal option. But the Endurance Circuit was used only in 2010, which stretches 0.6 miles longer. This race will be 57 laps long.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again Ferrari signalled a return to form in Bahrain Grand Prix practice on Friday with Sebastian Vettel and new team-mate Charles Leclerc well clear of the rest at the top of the timesheets. The German, a four-time Formula 1 world champion who trailed the Monegasque in the first of the day's two sessions, lapped the floodlit 5.4-km Sakhir desert track in one minute 28.846 seconds, pipping Leclerc by 0.035. Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, fourth in the afternoon behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas, was the quickest Mercedes driver in the evening as the pair swapped positions. The British star was still 0.603 seconds off Vettel's benchmark while Bottas, winner of the season-opener in Australia two weeks ago, had been nearly a second off Leclerc in the afternoon session.<doc-sep>Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas kicked off his 2019 campaign in style, dominating the Australian Grand Prix to claim his first win since 2017. Can he double up in Bahrain? What time does it start? How can I watch it? This weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix is set to get underway at 18:10 p.m. local time, 16:10 p.m. (BST) and 11.10 a.m. (ET). For U.S. viewers, all of this weekend's sessions are live on ESPN: Friday -- Practice Practice 1 - Friday, March 29, 6:55 a.m. - ESPNU Practice 2 - Friday, March 29, 10:55 a.m. - ESPNU Saturday -- Qualifying Practice 3 - Saturday, March 30, 7:55 a.m. - ESPN2 Qualifying - Saturday, March 30, 10:55 a.m. - ESPN2 Sunday -- Race On The Grid - Sunday, March 31, 10:30 a.m. - ESPN2 Race - Sunday, March 31, 11:05 a.m. - ESPN2 U.K. viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Check local listings for all other territories. The burning question... Is Ferrari stronger than its Melbourne outing suggested? From class of the field in winter testing to utterly humbled in Australia, it's been a roller-coaster month for everyone at Ferrari. For some unknown reason, all of the Scuderia's preseason promise and pace vanished in Melbourne, with the lead Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel finishing in fourth place, almost a minute behind race winner Valtteri Bottas. Race pace wasn't the only issue, either. In qualifying, Vettel was 0.704s adrift of pole sitter Lewis Hamilton's time while teammate Charles Leclerc was a further 0.252s behind. The good news for Ferrari is that this performance seems like a real anomaly. Based on all of the data, and the unique nature of the Albert Park circuit, it doesn't appear as though they will struggle like this at every race. The turnaround has to start this weekend in Bahrain as Ferrari can't afford to give Mercedes a head start in the world championship. Just about every fan of Formula One would certainly hope they can find some rapid gains and challenge Mercedes in 2019. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari drives his car during the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. Chris Putnam / Barcroft Media via Getty Images Which car will suit the track? Last year, Mercedes arrived in Australia and blitzed the field. They comfortably had the quickest car, but an untimely Safety Car during the race handed victory to Ferrari. When the teams got to Bahrain, we saw the first real glimpse of Ferrari's potential with a front row lockout. Vettel then went on to win his second race in succession. The track surface in Bahrain is much more abrasive than Albert Park. There are also fewer medium-speed corners -- something Ferrari struggled with in Melbourne . Instead, there are mostly straights and low-speed corners. This type of circuit should really suit Ferrari's package. Looking down the grid, Toro Rosso is one that stands out. Like Ferrari, they enjoyed a strong weekend in Bahrain last year with Pierre Gasly finishing a career-best fourth place. If they show the same sort of pace as they did in Australia, another haul of points could be on the cards. The stat files 8 -- The amount of podiums Kimi Raikkonen has had in Bahrain, but, amazingly, he has never won the race. Felipe Massa -- The only non-world champion to win the Bahrain Grand Prix (2007, 2008). 1,279km -- Nobody has led more than Vettel in Bahrain. He's almost double Hamilton, the next best, on 655km. April -- The Bahrain Grand Prix has been held in April every year except 2006 and 2010. 1 -- Just a single point separates Mercedes (230) and Ferrari (229) at the top of the all-time Bahrain Grand Prix points scored list. Lewis Hamilton stands on the podium after finishing second at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. Stephen Blackberry/Action Plus via Getty Images Tyre talk Available compounds: Hard C1 (white), Medium C2 (yellow), Soft C3 (red) Mario Isolo, head of car racing -- "We have seen some exciting tactical battles previously in Bahrain, notably last year, and hopefully there is even more potential for that this year. The C1 and C2 compounds that are the hard and medium choices this weekend are actually a little softer than the hard and medium tyres last year, which should make them even more well suited to the track. Although the key to Bahrain is managing the rear tyres, not many teams have chosen an extra set of the hard compound. As always, the challenge consists of dealing with the traction demands on a variable track with falling temperatures, as well as the roughest asphalt of the year." Minimum starting pressures: Front 21.5 psi, rear 19 psi Weather forecast Unsurprisingly, it is set to be warm in Bahrain this weekend. There is an expected top of 27C on Friday and Saturday while temperatures could rise to as high as 33C on Sunday. The race does take place under lights, so it will be cooler by the time the race gets underway. Just like in previous years, there is almost a zero percent chance of rain this weekend. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari celebrates on the podium after winning the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. Charles Coates/Getty Images ESPN's prediction We shouldn't get sucked into the form line of Australia, but it's hard not to. Mercedes appeared comfortably quicker than Ferrari and one man will be hoping to square the ledger with his teammate. Winner: Lewis Hamilton<doc-sep>
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. 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 Online Streaming: WatchESPN, ESPN App, F1 TV Pro