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Preamble
What does the wild and wacky world of Formula One have in store for us this afternoon? The searing heat of Bahrain is our destination today and the question is: can Max Verstappen pull another rabbit from the Red Bull hat or will the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri restore their dominance?
Those questions (and more) will be answered over the next hour or two after a few laps of this inventively-named Bahrain International Circuit. So far this season, qualifying in pole position has amounted to a fairly hefty race advantage.
To properly whet your appetite, here’s our man Giles Richards with a scene-setter from the Middle East. Let’s get started.