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Fernando Alonso, of course, isn't racing today, having been told to skip this grand prix on medical grounds.

Instead, he is watching on in the pit lane as his fellow drivers head on out to the starting grid.

Nico Rosberg is bidding for his first Bahrain Grand Prix win, while victory for either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel will move them level with Fernando Alonso on three wins.

The Sunday Mirror say Lewis Hamilton "grabbed pole with an electrifying lap as Formula 1's controversial new qualifying system failed to win a death-row reprieve". 

They claim Hamilton "proved yet again that, when it comes down to it, Nico Rosberg just doesn't have the answer to his startling speed".

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

It was a highly impressive performance from Pascal Wehrlein and Manor, the German putting the low-budget team in 16th place. 

"The weekend started already very different compared to Melbourne," he said. "In Melbourne we had a few problems with the car and we couldn't solve that in Melbourne. That feels more like the car I was used to having in Barcelona, and we were just close to going to Q2. I am really happy with the day.” 

Team-mate Rio Haryanto was 1.3secs slower and starts 20th after Renault driver Kevin Magsnussen’s demotion to a pit lane start for missing the weigh bridge during practice. 

Jolyon Palmer's fellow rookie Pascal Wehrlein impressed in qualifying yesterday, putting his Manor 16th on the grid. 

K-Mag been getting beard growing tips from Jenson Button? 

A tough race in prospect for the Renault drivers, with Kevin Magnussen starting from the pit lane after failing to stop at a red light for a weight check during second practice. Jolyon Palmer, meanwhile, lines up 19th. 

The Briton showed glimpses of measured aggression when attempting overtakes in Australia. A points finish might be just out of reach, but I fancy Palmer to gain a few places today.

With Formula 1 bosses still failing to agree on a qualifying format for the next race in China (and beyond), we want to know whether you think the sport should revert to the 2015 system.

The options are simply yes or no. Choose your answer to the right of this page or, if you're on a mobile device, click on the 'vote' tab above.

The vote will close at 15:45 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

In Fernando Alonso’s absence, Stoffel Vandoorne made a highly impressive F1 debut for McLaren, taking 12th on the grid and pipping team-mate Jenson Button by a few hundredths of a second. 

McLaren chairman Ron Dennis called it “fantastic”; Vandoorne, a measured an undemonstrative fellow, just kept saying he “thought he could be very happy”. “Jenson is a very good benchmark for me,” he added, “because he is a world champion and he is well known to the team so I am very satisfied with the qualifying.” Button, inevitably, was not so happy. Half a second or so up on Vandoorne after the first session, he did not improve in the second, saying a small front wing and transformed the car and given it oversteer, which he does not like. 

With Button’s contract expiring at the end of the season and the 2009 world champion 37 before the start of next season, McLaren have some serious thinking to do as they ponder whether he or Vandoorne should partner Alonso in 2017.    

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Image source, Getty Images

It says something about Fernando Alonso’s stature in F1 that he is a major part of the news agenda even on a weekend when he is not driving the car. After the shock - even to Alonso - decision by the FIA on Thursday that he was not going to be allowed to drive, on Friday McLaren tried to convince the FIA reconsider, and that was still a subject for discussion on Saturday. 

"Two sets of doctors in Spain had cleared Fernando to drive and fly, so we were very surprised to get a different interpretation here," chairman Ron Dennis said. "As we got through Friday, Fernando was feeling aggrieved that he felt so good that he wanted to drive. So we approached the FIA and said if we had a new scan taken this morning and this scan supported the position of the doctors five days later, would they then permit him to drive? They said no, it doesn't matter what the scan showed, he wouldn't be permitted to drive. In virtually every team sport in the world the fitness of the athlete - the football player, the ice hockey player, the skier - is determined by the team," he said.

Dennis said he felt the main issue was “would Fernando have been a danger to other drivers? If you've got a cracked rib and you want to drive with it, it's your business.”

Don't hassle The Stoff.

The McLaren man is in the zone and ready for his F1 race debut. He lines up a hugely impressive 12th on the grid today, and in with a solid chance of a points finish. 

Lewis Hamilton has caught the photographers' attention by turning up for today's race in traditional Bahraini clothing.

The most stylish man in F1? Not a patch on Ayrton Senna rocking the below...

Image source, pinterest

Who are F1's best and worst dressed drivers from past and present? 

Also, how do you see this race going? Let us know via #bbcf1,, external text in on 81111 (UK only) and post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Image source, Getty Images

Ferrari looked a real threat to Mercedes throughout Saturday, first and second in final practice, and mixing it with them throughout qualifying. Until the final runs. Then, the Mercedes paced away - suddenly sticking 0.5secs on the red cars. Both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg said they suspected it was to do with the Mercedes working better as the track temperature came down as night deepened. They hadn’t turned their engines up, Hamilton said. Sebastian Vettel, for his part, did not sound too worried. For the race, he said, “we’ll push them very hard.”

Image source, Getty Images

Loitering in fourth on the grid is Kimi Raikkonen - always the bridesmaid and never the bride in Bahrain.

He's finished on the podium more times than any other driver with seven, and he snatched a superb second in 2015 by passing Nico Rosberg with two laps to go.

Can he go one better this year and pick off that elusive first win?

Just over one hour until lights out. Here is how the grid looks:

1) Hamilton 2) Rosberg 3) Vettel 4) Raikkonen 5) Ricciardo 6)  Bottas 7) Massa 8) Hulkenberg 9) Grosjean 10) Verstappen

11) Sainz 12) Vandoorne 13) Gutierrez 14) Button 15) Kvyat 16) Wehrlein 17) Ericsson 18) Perez 19) Palmer 20) Haryanto 21) Nasr 

* Magnussen starts from the pit lane