SEPANG — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of the season for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang today, beating Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari driver produced a superb late lap to secure his first front-row start since Barcelona.

The four-time world champion ultimately secured pole with a lap of 1min 35.130sec, finishing 0.298sec ahead of Hamilton, who jumped onto the front row in the closing moments of Q3.

The result was a significant breakthrough for Verstappen, who sits sixth in the drivers’ standings after a season in which he has yet to win a race.

“Great job guys, car felt great!” Hamilton said over team radio after completing the lap, according to The Guardian’s ‘live’ coverage.

The result marked a welcome return to the sharp end of the grid for Hamilton, whose previous front-row appearance came in Barcelona, where he went on to win.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth for Mercedes after a tense afternoon, although he is set to move up to third on the grid because Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who qualified ahead of him, carries a five-place penalty.

Antonelli had earlier survived a major scare in Q2 when his first flying lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn Six.

“Wait, what?!” the Italian responded over the radio after being informed of the infringement.

It left Antonelli needing another set of soft tyres to secure his place in the final shootout, but he responded under pressure with a lap good enough for second in Q2, 0.263sec behind Verstappen.

Verstappen had looked the man to beat throughout the session, topping Q2 with a 1:35.696 before finding further pace when it mattered in the final qualifying segment.