Motor racing-F1 champion Verstappen on pole for Bahrain season-opener

Red Bull's reigning world champion Max Verstappen took the first pole position of the Formula One season in Bahrain on Friday, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc alongside on the front row.

Mercedes' George Russell qualified third and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz fourth.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, both held under floodlights and the first two rounds of a record 24-race championship, are being held on Saturdays to accommodate Ramadan, which starts on the evening of March 10. (Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, Editing by Hugh Lawson)