"Lando is frustrated, but he will fight back", says Stella after qualifying day

Having failed to secure a front row lock out in Manama, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella expects Lando Norris to fight back after a dismal performance in

McLaren were once again miles ahead of the field in FP3, setting up what looked like a two horse race for pole. Both made it to Q3 with ease, but chose to run used tyres at the start of the shootout despite having two fresh sets at their disposal.

Although Mercedes and Ferrari managed to close in on McLaren for the final stages of qualifying, Piastri delivered when it mattered to take his second career pole position after having secure his maiden pole in Suzuka a week ago.

However, Norris couldn’t follow suit as he made a crucial mistake in Turn 1 on his final push lap. his mistake meant that he didn’t just miss out on pole, he wound up a lowly sixth – a surprising result considering how strong McLaren looked all weekend.

"As we expected, the times were much closer in Qualifying as everyone looked to maximise what they had when it mattered. Despite this, Oscar did a great job to get his second Grand Prix Pole position and the team's first in Bahrain.

"Lando is a little frustrated not to be on the front row, but he has strong race pace and there is plenty that can be achieved tomorrow, at a circuit where overtaking is possible.

"Conditions could be challenging with both temperature and wind playing big factors here, along with high degradation, so we will be preparing for all the complexities the race has to offer."