HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the action from qualifying for the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix

Qualifying in the Bahrain desert wasn't a straightforward affair, Ferrari facing off against Red Bull for P1 on the grid for Sunday's season-opening Grand Prix.

And eventually it was Charles Leclerc who put in a smashing effort to take pole position for Ferrari – his first since 2021 – while champion Max Verstappen joined him on the front row.

READ MORE: Leclerc takes stunning Bahrain pole for Ferrari ahead of Verstappen and Sainz

Other star performers were Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas – who shares row three with former team mate Lewis Hamilton – and Haas's Kevin Magnussen, who made it all the way into Q3 on his return to F1.

Alex Albon emerged from Q1 for Williams as did Alfa Romeo's rookie Zhou Guanyu – while there were some surprise eliminations to boot.

Watch qualifying highlights from the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix in the video player above.

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