Summary

  • Bottas on pole for first time, Hamilton 2nd, Vettel 3rd

  • Hamilton top in Q1 and Q2, Grosjean and Palmer through to Q3

  • Alonso must change engine for race

  • Get involved #bbcf1

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

  1. Lance Stroll is out now for his single shot at making it into the top 10 shootout. Big lap needed by the Williams driver...

  2. Get involved #bbcf1

  3. Everyone from eighth down is heading out for another lap. 

    Three minutes to go in Q2.

  4. No times from either Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll. Are they going for a solitary run? Not in Alonso's case. He is out of the McLaren and swapping his lid for a baseball cap. Looks like his qualifying is done.

  5. After those runs the order from those who have done times is:

    1) Hamilton 2) Bottas 3) Vettel 4) Raikkonen 5) Verstappen 6) Ricciardo 7) Massa 8) Kvyat 9) Hulkenberg 10) Palmer 11) Grosjean 12) Ocon 13) Wehrlein

    Bahrain GPgett

  6. Sebastian Vettel comes round for his first flyer and does a 1:29.596 to go third. He's just 0.061s slower than Lewis Hamilton.

    Once again it looks very, very close between Mercedes and Ferrari. As expected, they've turned the engines up for Q2.

    Sebastian VettelGetty Images

  7. Yes he can. Hamilton does a 1:29.535 to edge ahead of his Mercedes team-mate by just 0.020s.

    Max Verstappen goes P3, seven tenths off the pace.

    Max VerstappenRex Features

  8. Rapid stuff from Valtteri Bottas as he does a 1:29.555 to go P1. Can Lewis Hamilton beat that?

  9. Everyone is out on the track now apart from Lance Stroll and Pascal Wehrlein.

    Lance StrollGetty Images

  10. Jolyon Palmer is straight out to try and bank a good time early doors.

  11. Second qualifying starts

    Q2 is under way, but no early takers to the track just yet.

  12. Small (probably no) consolation for Carlos Sainz. He likely helped his compatriot Fernando Alonso through to Q2 because he was fastest in sector one before coming to a stop.

  13. IN

    1) Hamilton ) Verstappen 3) Raikkonen 4) Vettel 5) Bottas 6) Hulkenberg 7) Massa 8) Palmer 9) Kvyayt 10) Ricciardo 

    11) Grosjean 12) Stroll 13) Ocon 14) Wehrlein 15) Alonso

    Pascal WehrleinGetty Images

  14. Mark Gallagher
    BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

    Carlos Sainz was fastest overall in that first sector and then he loses all power. 

    Oh that is a real shame. He has a lot of talent and he will be really disappointed not to go through. 

  15. OUT

    16) Sainz 17) Vandoorne 18) Perez 19) Ericsson 20) Magnussen  

  16. chequered flag

    First part of qualifying ends

    Lewis Hamilton finishes fastest in the first part of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

    Lewis Hamiltongetty
  17. yellow flag

    Yellow flag

    Disaster for Carlos Sainz at the last second! The Toro Rosso has pulled over at the side of the track and come to a stop. Sainz leaps out of his car and that's his session over. Out in Q1. 

    Out comes the yellow flag and that scuppers Sergio Perez's hopes of an improvement. He's out.

  18. Excellent lap by Jolyon Palmer! He hauls himself out of trouble as a 1:31.458 puts him P8.

  19. So worth it for Kimi. He is up to third with a 1:30.988.

  20. Crackerjack lap by Romain Grosjean. He does a 1:31.691 to leap up from last to eighth. 

    Oddly, Kimi Raikkonen, who has the seventh best time and is already most probably through to Q2, is back out for another lap.