Formula 1 2021: Who has taken the most poles at the Bahrain Grand Prix?

The 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix is going to take place on Sunday, 28th March 2021, which will officially kick start the Formula 1 season. There have been 17 previous iterations of the Bahrain Grand Prix since the event came to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time in 2004. The series has raced on the current circuit 16 times, while using the outer circuit layout just once, in 2020.

Unlike most of the circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, pole position hasn't been the most ideal place to start the race at Bahrain. With long straights and slow corners, overtaking isn't a difficult task at the Bahrain International Circuit. The pole-sitter at the Bahrain Grand Prix has won just 7 out of the 17 races, a mere 41%.

The first driver to secure pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix was seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher in 2004. Valtteri Bottas is the latest driver to start the race on pole. The Finn narrowly pipped his teammate George Russell by a mere 0.026 seconds. George Russell was thrust into the Mercedes for a single race as a result of Lewis Hamilton's positive COVID diagnosis.

Which driver has the most poles at the Bahrain Grand Prix?

There have been 10 drivers in the history of the Bahrain Grand Prix who have started the race on pole position. Among them, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have the most pole positions with three each. Hamilton won all of his pole positions with Mercedes (in 2015, 2016, 2020) while Vettel won two in his time at Red Bull (in 2010, 2012) and one with Ferrari in 2018.

Joint second with two pole positions each are, Michael Schumacher (2004, 2006), Nico Rosberg (2013, 2014) and Valtteri Bottas (2017, 2020). Apart from them, there are five drivers with a pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix to their names. These drivers include returning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso (2005), Felipe Massa (2007), Robert Kubica (2008), Jarno Trulli (2009) and Charles Leclerc (2019).

Which constructor has the most poles at the Bahrain Grand Prix?

It should come as no surprise that Mercedes have the most pole positions amongst the constructors with seven. They are followed by Ferrari who have five poles at this venue and as mentioned before, Red Bull have two pole positions. BMW-Sauber, Toyota and Renault each have a pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

#OnThisDay, exactly ten years ago 🗓️Robert Kubica made history with a phenomenal maiden pole position 💪#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/rbiulmoMPy

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2018

When is the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying?

The qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix is going to take place on 27th March 2021, at 18:00 PM local (Bahrain) time.

For fans in the UK, the qualifying session begins at 3 PM GMT.

For viewers in the United States, qualifying will begin at 11 AM Eastern Time.

For fans in India, qualifying begins at 8:30 PM IST.