Formula 1 qualifying results: Starting grid for 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix

SAKHIR, BAHRAIN — The first grid of the 2022 Formula 1 season is set, and the Ferrari hype was real: Charles Leclerc starts in pole position. 

Leclerc finished the session .123 seconds ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen, who sits alongside the Monegasque on the front row. 

In Q1, the big story was Mercedes drivers new and old, as Valtteri Bottas incredibly ranked as 4th-fastest. His Mercedes replacement, George Russell, and former teammate, Lewis Hamilton, could only scrape into 9th and 10th, respectively. 

It was an awful showing for Aston Martin, with stand-in Niko Hulkenberg in 17th and Canadian Lance Stroll 19th. 

Through Q2, Verstappen rose into top spot, while Mercedes started unloading the "sandbags", as Hamilton and Russell ranked 5th and 6th. 

However, they couldn't improve in Q3 - and, in fact, Russell fell back behind Bottas. The Finnish star will have an extremely wide grin on his face tonight, as he starts 6th on the grid for his first race with Alfa Romeo. 

But Q3 was all about Leclerc, who clocked in at 1:30.558. Verstappen tried to bite back right at the end of the session, going faster through sector one, but ultimately couldn't get the job done. 

Ferrari and Red Bull repeated that order through 3rd and 4th, via Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, ahead of seven-time world champion Hamilton. 

It was also a promising day for Haas, with Kevin Magnussen surprisingly taking 7th spot. The full grid follows: 

Formula 1 starting lineup for 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

• TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
• Live stream: Kayo

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Australian GP on free-to-air television. 

Formula 1 2022 schedule

In total, there are 22 scheduled events on the F1 docket for 2022, one race shy of tying the mark for longest F1 calendar.

The season starts in Bahrain on March 20, and ends with its customary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although a bit earlier than usual, in November. If the schedule stands, this will be the earliest end of the Formula 1 season since it ended on Nov. 4 in 2013.

Returning to the 2022 F1 slate are the Canadian and Japanese Grand Prix, both of which were canceled in 2021 amidst fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. 

The calendar also holds the maiden voyage for the Miami Grand Prix, the first of two races in the United States in 2022, with the customary United States GP taking place in October.

The Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, was canceled due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Here's the latest schedule (subject to change):