
Leclerc ended qualifying early to save tires for the race
Charles Leclerc was very close to the best starting position in Bahrain, but the Ferrari driver tactically opted not to make another attempt, saving a set of tires for the race. As a result, the Monaco native slipped from second place to third when he was overtaken by the other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, and although it seemed that there was some kind of failure of the car, Ferrari announced that it was a tactical move. "We have to be realistic," Leclerc said after qualifying, Red Bull and Aston Martin are obviously going to be very fast in the race, so I think we did the right thing when we were prepared to lose one or two starting places but start the race on new tyres. I'm sure we made the right decision, but if that's true, we'll see tomorrow." The Monaco native said that the team from Mar