Max Verstappen was delighted to break his Bahrain Grand Prix hoodoo, but Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez is promising a tight Formula One title race in 2023.
The reigning world champion picked up his first career victory at the Bahrain International Circuit to kick off the new season where he left off last term.
Verstappen led a one-two ahead of teammate Perez, while Fernando Alonso came third on his Aston Martin debut.
Having failed to win on any of his previous visits to Bahrain with the team, the Dutchman acknowledged he was gratified to finally claim a win at the circuit.
"I was very happy to finally win here in Bahrain," he said in his post-race interview. "It was a very good first stint. From there, it was about looking after the tyres.
"[There are] just little things we want to fine-tune. I think we have a good race package. I think it will depend race-to-race, [but] we can definitely fight with this."
Perez, who was aided in securing second by the late retirement of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to an engine issue, feels he can press his team-mate this year though.
After finishing third in the standings last term, the Mexican is looking to ensure he can stay on the heels of the Dutchman as the latter eyes a third consecutive crown.
"We worked really hard over the winter, so it is nice to see all the boys enjoying the first race," he added. "It was important today to get both cars to the end.
"Finishing second was the maximum I could do today [with my start]. It is a long season. I think I am getting closer every single session and I will give my best."
Alonso, who departed Alpine for Aston Martin during the off-season, nabbed his first podium finish since he came third at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.
For the Spaniard, the oldest driver in the field at 41, it marked a vindication of his decision to make the move as he continues to defy expectations.
"[It is] amazing for the team, [it] was [a] great weekend," he added. "Finishing on the podium in the first race of the year, it is just amazing.
"What Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second-best car on race one, it's unreal."
Max Verstappen started the defence of his Formula One title with a comfortable victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion was in front from the start and never truly came under threat, leading a Red Bull one-two ahead of Sergio Perez to secure his team's first opening-weekend victory since 2011.
With Charles Leclerc forced into a retirement due to an engine issue, Red Bull's closest challenger was Fernando Alonso, who worked his way through the field for a podium finish.
But a rejuvenated Aston Martin were no match for a dominant Verstappen and Red Bull in what proved to be a comfortable race for the defending champions.
Leclerc, who had a power unit change before the start, leapfrogged Perez to take second place at the start but could not stay ahead of the Mexican, who regained his grid position after the first round of pit stops on lap 26.
Mercedes' fight with Aston Martin was the battle to watch, Lewis Hamilton completing an undercut on Alonso before a stellar move on lap 38 saw the Spaniard move ahead again.
Engine problems for Leclerc led to his retirement three laps later, opening the door for Alonso to battle Carlos Sainz for a podium spot after the virtual safety car was deployed.
Alonso was able to catch his compatriot on lap 46 to clinch third spot in his first race for Aston Martin, though there was no challenge for Red Bull as they eased to only their second ever win in the first race of the year.
Ferrari frustration
Having had to retire from the lead twice in the 2022 season due to engine issues, Leclerc would have hoped those problems were a thing of the past heading into Ferrari's 2023 campaign.
Never appearing to have the pace to put the Red Bull duo under threat, calamity struck with another forced retirement in a nightmare start to the season.
Ocon's Alpine agony
Esteban Ocon's season did not get off to a good start, with the Frenchman given three time penalties over the course of the race.
An initial five-second penalty came for incorrect grid position, with a 10-second penalty following for failing to serve that correctly and another five-second penalty issued for speeding in the pit lane before the Alpine was eventually retired.
IN THE POINTS
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +11.987
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +36.637
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +48.052
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +50.977
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +54.502
7. George Russell (Mercedes) +55.873
8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +1:12.647
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1:13.753
10. Alexander Albon (Williams) +1:20.870
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 25
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 18
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 15
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 12
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 10
Constructors
1. Red Bull 43
2. Aston Martin 23
3. Mercedes 16
4. Ferrari 12
5. Alfa Romeo 4
Charles Leclerc has taken a new power unit component ahead of the Formula One season opener in Bahrain.
The Ferrari driver, who starts third on the grid behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, has a new energy store (ES) on his car.
No penalty will be issued for the Bahrain Grand Prix, though it leaves Ferrari in a challenging position for the remainder of the season as only two such changes are allowed over the course of the campaign.
The F1 season in 2023 will see a record-breaking 23 races on the calendar, Las Vegas having been added to the schedule.
Leclerc looked to be Verstappen's strongest rival last season, winning two of the opening three races, but reliability issues and strategy errors derailed his charge as he finished 146 points behind the Dutchman.
Changes were made at Ferrari ahead of the new season, Frederic Vasseur replacing Mattias Binotto as team principal.
Toto Wolff conceded Mercedes must change their car design in order to return to the top of Formula One.
Mercedes endured a dismal 2022 season, with Lewis Hamilton suffering the first winless campaign of his F1 career.
Much of their struggles were put down to issues with the car, but Mercedes stuck with their unique "zero pod" design for the 2023 season, despite the success of Red Bull's "side pod" model.
Yet after a disappointing qualification session that saw George Russell place in sixth and Hamilton in seventh for Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Wolff confirmed changes will have to be made.
He said: "I don't think this package is going to be competitive, eventually.
"We gave it our best go also over the [off-season] and now we just need to all regroup, sit down with the engineers who are totally not dogmatic about anything and decide what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be competitive to win races.
"It's not only like last year that you're scoring podiums and eventually you get there.
"I'm sure we can win races this season but it's really the mid-and long-term that we need to look at which decisions you need to take."
Wolff believes Mercedes "gave it our best shot" but ultimately the team must accept their model has not worked.
"We hit our targets. That's why we gave it our best shot," he continued. "The moment comes and the stopwatch comes out and that showed us that it's simply not good enough.
"We haven't got enough downforce and we need to find solutions to fix that."
Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen claimed pole position in Saturday's qualification, with team-mate Sergio Perez completing a front-row lockout for Red Bull.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start in third and fourth respectively, while Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso occupies fifth on the grid ahead of Russell and Hamilton.
Trey Lyles gave a damning judgement of the Sacramento Kings' issues as he pointed out the team "can't stop anybody" in the wake of Saturday's defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sacramento lost 134-138 to see their winning streak snapped at five games.
They sit third in the Western Conference, though they are seven-and-a-half games back from the Denver Nuggets.
The Kings have the best points per game (121.1) in the NBA this season, yet when it comes to defense, they are one of the league's poorest performers.
Only the San Antonio Spurs (122.0) and the Detroit Pistons (119.1) have conceded more points per game on average than the Kings (118.5).
For Lyles, the issues are clear.
"At the end of the day, no matter how tired we were, we were terrible defensively," he said.
"We can outscore anybody, but we can't stop anybody."
Lyles grabbed 15 points and eight rebounds from the bench, as Kevin Huerter led Sacramento with 29 points while Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards came to the fore for the Timberwolves with 27 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
However, the key to their victory – at least from Edwards' perspective – was keeping De'Aaron Fox, who had scored 30 or more points in nine of his last 11 games, below that threshold.
"De'Aaron Fox has been playing out of his mind," Edwards said, with Fox having managed 25 points.
"We were happy to hold him under 30 tonight. He still played great though in the fourth."
Minnesota coach Chris Finch reserved special praise for Edwards
He said: "I thought we played great all night long. Especially when they tightened it up at the end, we play a lot in flow.
"A lot of it was Anthony stepping up at the right time."
Giannis Antetokounmpo is eager for the Milwaukee Bucks to learn from their winning-streak-ending loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid and James Harden led the charge as the 76ers overcame a 14-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter to win 133-130 in Milwaukee on Saturday, snapping the Bucks' 16-game winning run.
Milwaukee went into the contest with the best record in the NBA but Embiid – whose three-pointer with 42 seconds left on the clock nudged the 76ers ahead – and Harden ensured the league's longest winning streak of the season came to a shuddering halt.
Embiid finished with 31 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to back up Harden's 38 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey added 26 points.
It was the first time two Philadelphia players finished with at 30 or more points and 10 or more assists in the same game since Hal Greer Wilt Chamberlain did so in October 1965.
Antetokounmpo now wants to see the Bucks respond.
"They went wherever they wanted to go, scoring from the paint, floaters, isos, offensive rebounds, free throws, threes," said Antetokounmpo, who had a double-double of 34 points and 13 rebounds.
"You name it. They were able to get everything.
"We've got to be able to play 48 minutes of good basketball, defend for 48 minutes. This is a good lesson for us.
"We did a good job the first three quarters. Obviously, the fourth quarter, a lot of free throws, they made some tough threes.
"It was basically our game but they came out, they were aggressive, they moved the ball, got downhill to the paint."
For his part, Philadelphia talisman Embiid was not convinced he had the best of games at an individual level.
"I thought tonight I could have been better. I missed a lot of easy shots I usually make," he said.
The 76ers hold a 41-22 record for the season and pulled to within four games of the Bucks in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
"It's good, having these types of games, especially with our schedule the rest of the way," Embiid added.
"It's good for us, prepares us for the playoffs. It's good and bad. Good because you know you're able to do it, but it's also bad because you put yourself in that position [down 18].
"So maybe we should try to find a way to not put ourselves in those positions in the first place so we don't have to do it again."
Harden said: "Give ourselves a chance. That was the whole fourth quarter. I feel like they had us that entire game, and then, that fourth quarter, we came out with some pop.
"You find something that works and you try to stick with it. We found something late, in that fourth quarter, and we just stuck with it. We got some stops and things changed for us."
Alex de Minaur secured his first ATP 500 title on Saturday after coming from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Mexican Open final.
It was a tremendous week in Acapulco for the Australian, having eliminated world number 10 Holger Rune in the semi-final en route to his seventh title overall, with the first six all at the ATP 250 level.
Against Paul, De Minaur blew a pair of break points in the opening set, and then gave up the break in the very next game, allowing the American to serve things out safely to take the first frame.
But mistakes started to creep into Paul's game the longer the match went. After landing 75 per cent of his first serves fair in the opener and avoiding any double-faults, Paul's first serve percentage dropped to 46 in the second, and he committed a pair of doubles.
He committed another two double-faults in the decider to hand De Minaur the early break, and his play from the baseline also deteriorated, hitting just six winners to go with 14 unforced errors.
Known for his resilience, De Minaur had to save five break points to hold serve in the opening game of the third set, but he held his nerve, and churned out five consecutive games as Paul ran out of gas.
The 500 ranking points will see the Aussie climb to 18th in the world, with his career-best mark of 15th now within reach.
Meanwhile, the fairytale continued for Nicolas Jarry at the Chile Open, with the Santiago-born talent electrifying his home crowd with a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 semi-final victory over Jaume Munar.
Jarry will get a chance for the second ATP title of his career, and the first since 2019, when he meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final.
Etcheverry emerged victorious 7-5 6-3 in an all-Argentine showdown against third seed Sebastian Baez, earning his first final appearance at this level.
Jon Jones wants his first defence of the UFC heavyweight championship to be against the man widely considered the greatest heavyweight in the history of the promotion, Stipe Miocic.
Jones captured the belt on Saturday after securing a first-round guillotine choke submission against Cyril Gane, just two minutes and four seconds into the main event.
It was the 35-year-old former light heavyweight champion's first fight since February 2020, and there had been questions about how he would look coming off such a long layoff and at a drastically increased weight, but he passed the test with flying colours.
He planted Gane on the mat with his first takedown attempt, and after feeling out a potential guillotine that was not properly applied, he returned to the same move moments later and cinched it up tight.
During his post-fight interview, Jones shared that he knew grappling was his route to victory, and that Gane's limited experience in that department would be no match for his lifetime in the wrestling room.
"I had a strong conviction that if I were to get him down to the ground, the fight would be in my area," he said.
"I've been wrestling since I was 12 years old, and I felt stronger and more comfortable – especially on the ground – than ever.
"With kickboxing you never know what's going to happen – he zigs, I zag – there was a major feeling out process.
"I actually felt a little goofy on the feet, it's been a while, but once I got my hands on him I knew that's where I was most comfortable and that I could take control."
When asked about his interest in taking on the former heavyweight champ, Jones said it is the only fight on his mind.
"Oh yeah, baby," he said. "Y'all want to see me beat up Stipe? One thing I know about the UFC is we give the fans what they want to see.
"Stipe Miocic, I hope you're training my guy. You're the greatest heavyweight of all-time, and that's what I want. I want you, real bad."
Miocic, 40, has not fought since a crushing knockout at the hands of Francis Ngannou in March 2021, but he is the only heavyweight in UFC history to defend the belt three times in a row, during his first of two championship reigns from 2016-2018.
Jon Jones made it look easy as he submitted Cyril Gane in just over two minutes to secure the vacant heavyweight championship in the UFC 285 main event.
Jones, who came into the contest with a 27-1 record and was already considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, added another notch to his resume as he added the heavyweight belt to his 15 light heavyweight title fight victories.
Against Gane, Jones was faced with the first size disadvantage of his career, although he did come in as the slightly heavier fighter at 249lbs to Gane's 248lbs.
But the battle was always going to be about whether Gane could prevent the takedowns and stay on his feet, and that question was answered a minute into the first round.
After the first kick of the fight nailed Jones square in the cup, causing a brief delay, the 35-year-old Hall of Fame inductee came out of the restart and immediately secured a takedown.
Gane tried to do the right things, keeping his back up against the cage to aid his chances of getting back to his feet, but Jones stayed patient and waited for his opening.
After initially threatening a guillotine choke that he could not lock up properly, Jones clearly identified a hole in the big Frenchman's defence, repositioning and attacking with the same guillotine choke while Gane was seated upright against the cage.
Once it was on properly, the tap came almost immediately, with the fight stopped at 2:04 into the first round.
But while one legend climbed further into the pantheon of the greatest fighters to ever walk the planet, another suffered a shocking defeat, as flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko was submitted by Alexa Grasso in the fourth round.
An overwhelming favourite, Shevchenko came into the contest on a nine-fight winning streak dating back to 2018, but after surviving a close split decision her last time out against Talia Santos, she again looked a far cry from her dominant best.
Grasso's boxing in the first round illustrated that she may have the edge on the feet, forcing the well-rounded champion to pivot her strategy and spend the second and third rounds largely in top position after a series of takedowns.
The fourth round was neck-and-neck, until Shevchenko threw a spinning back kick, exposing her back and allowing Grasso to latch on, sink her hooks in and work the rear naked choke.
It was not tight enough to finish initially, but the challenger remained calm and slowly adjusted her grip until the champion was forced to tap for the first time in her career.
With the stunning upset, Grasso became the first Mexican woman to ever win a UFC title, and she has a chance to potentially main event a pay per view when it comes time for the inevitable rematch.
Alex De Minaur secured his first ATP 500 title on Saturday after coming from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Mexican Open final.
It was a tremendous week in Acapulco for the Australian, having eliminated world number 10 Holger Rune in the semi-final en route to his seventh title overall, with the first six all at the ATP 250 level.
Against Paul, De Minaur blew a pair of break points in the opening set, and then gave up the break in the very next game, allowing the American to serve things out safely to take the first frame.
But mistakes started to creep into Paul's game the longer the match went. After landing 75 per cent of his first serves fair in the opener and avoiding any double-faults, Paul's first serve percentage dropped to 46 in the second, and he committed a pair of doubles.
He committed another two double-faults in the decider to hand De Minaur the early break, and his play from the baseline also deteriorated, hitting just six winners to go with 14 unforced errors.
Known for his resilience, De Minaur had to save five break points to hold serve in the opening game of the third set, but he held his nerve, and churned out five consecutive games as Paul ran out of gas.
The 500 ranking points will see the Aussie climb to 18th in the world, with his career-best mark of 15th now within reach.
Meanwhile, the fairytale continued for Nicolas Jarry at the Chile Open, with the Santiago-born talent electrifying his home crowd with a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 semi-final victory over Jaume Munar.
Jarry will get a chance for the second ATP title of his career, and the first since 2019, when he meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final.
Etcheverry emerged victorious 7-5 6-3 in an all-Argentine showdown against third seed Sebastian Baez, earning his first final appearance at this level.
The longest winning streak of the season was snapped at 16 games after the Philadelphia 76ers came from behind on the road to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 133-130.
Milwaukee came into the contest boasting the best record in the NBA, and they appeared well on their way to making it 17 in a row after building a 99-85 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
But the 76ers started the last period on a 16-2 run, and ended up scoring 48 in the quarter, finally taking a 127-125 lead with 42 seconds remaining following a Joel Embiid three-pointer.
It was a spectacular showing from Philadelphia's top three offensive options, and it was James Harden leading the way with 38 points on 11-of-26 shooting, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Embiid was terrific with 31 points (11-of-22 shooting) and an equal season-high 10 assists, and Tyrese Maxey continued to thrive since being reintroduced to the starting line-up, scoring 26 points on eight-of-12 shooting.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 34 points (nine-of-21 shooting) and 13 rebounds, but his seven turnovers were two more than the 76ers committed as an entire team.
With the win, the 76ers (41-22) pulled to within four games of the Bucks (45-18) in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Bam bullies the Hawks
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo was a destructive force on both ends as his side defeated the Atlanta Hawks 117-109 in front of a sold-out home crowd.
The two-time All-Star shot 10-of-12 from the field and the same from the free throw line for 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while also blocking two shots and snatching a steal.
Jimmy Butler continued to operate as the de facto point guard, dishing seven assists while only attempting eight field goals for his 15 points, 11 rebounds and two steals, while Tyler Herro poured in 20 points (eight-of-21 shooting) with five assists.
Miami are now just two games behind the flailing sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets as they seek to rise out of the Play-In Tournament placings.
VanVleet lifts the Raptors in overtime
Fred VanVleet hit big shots late as his Toronto Raptors emerged victorious 116-109 in overtime against the Washington Wizards.
VanVleet ended up with an equal game-high 10 assists to go with his 25 points (nine-of-16 shooting), and he hit a pair of three-pointers in the overtime period, while the Wizards could only muster four points as a team after regulation.
It was a game-winning showing off the bench for Gary Trent Jr, with 26 points (11-of-18 shooting), five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Delon Wright was a standout for Washington, tallying six steals to go with 18 points (six-of-10), seven assists and six rebounds.
Marta Kostyuk is through to her first WTA singles decider after defeating Danielle Collins 6-4 6-3 in Saturday's ATX Open semi-final.
Ukraine's Kostyuk prevailed in a closely contested battle against the highest seed remaining in the field, taking the only break of the first set after saving four Collins break points the game prior.
The two women traded breaks to begin the second set, but the 20-year-old Kostyuk was too strong down the stretch, winning five of the final six games.
It will also be the first WTA-level final for her opponent, with unseeded 22-year-old Russian Varvara Gracheva overcoming American Katie Volynets 6-4 5-7 6-4.
The two-and-a-half-hour clash was tight all the way through, with Gracheva only narrowly edging the total point count 101-94.
Meanwhile, down south of the border at the Monterrey Open, world number five Caroline Garcia won her semi-final against Elise Mertens 6-3 6-4.
The reigning WTA Finals champion will have a chance to collect the 12th singles title of her career, and her first of the season, when she meets Croatia's Donna Vekic in the final.
Vekic, the third seed, emerged the 7-5 6-2 victor against China's Zhu Lin, continuing a red-hot run of form that has seen her win 13 of her past 15 matches dating back to New Year's Eve.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr will not play for the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic, withdrawing from the tournament due to inflammation in his right knee.
The 23-year-old slugger injured his knee Friday while running the bases in a spring training game and the team announced Saturday he would not participate in the WBC.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said an MRI showed no structural damage, and he is not expected to be sidelined for long.
Toronto, though, obviously do not want to take any chances as they head into the 2023 season with high expectations after finishing with 92 wins and reaching the playoffs last year.
Guerrero was named to his second All-Star Game in 2022 after leading the Blue Jays with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs while batting .274 in 160 games.
He is the third Toronto player to withdraw from the WBC, along with catcher Alejandro Kirk and relief pitcher Jordan Romano.
The Dominican Republic begins their WBC schedule next Saturday against Venezuela.
Kurt Kitayama recovered from a double-bogey to remain the outright leader after three rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but a star-studded chasing pack is well within reach.
Kitayama led by two strokes coming into his third trip around Bay Hill, but he did well to salvage an even-par 72 to stay at nine under after four birdies on the back-nine.
His lead was trimmed to one, with world number two and defending champion Scottie Scheffler joined by Viktor Hovland in a tie for second at eight under.
Hovland was one of three competitors to shoot the round of the day, with a bogey-free 66, while Scheffler had a four-under day with seven birdies and three bogeys.
Alone in fourth at seven under is Tyrell Hatton, who matched Hovland's bogey-free 66 after rounds of 71 and 72, while world number three Rory McIlroy is joined by Harris English at six under in a tie for fifth.
Close friends Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth will likely be paired together for the final round after joining Pierceson Coody – the day's third 66 – in a tie for seventh at five under.
Max Homa and Cameron Young are still in the hunt at four under, while top-10 talents Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele headline the logjam at three under.
After a close-season of significant change, the starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix has a familiar look with Max Verstappen starting the new campaign on pole ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Pre-season testing at Sakhir had suggested the reigning world champion and his team would maintain their superiority to start the 2023 campaign, and further evidence to back up that point was provided in Q3.
Ferrari topped the timesheets in the opening two qualifying sessions, but it was Verstappen who reassumed command in the top-10 shoot-out with a time of one minute and 29.708 seconds.
Ominously for the two Ferraris on the second row, Charles Leclerc in third and Carlos Sainz in fourth, Verstappen's lap came following some significant struggles with the balance of the car, issues Red Bull fixed in time for the Dutchman to set the pace and put himself in position to dominate on race day.
Verstappen told the post-qualifying press conference: "I'm particularly happy because my whole weekend up until qualifying was very difficult.
"I couldn't really find the comfortable balance I had in testing and I was just struggling a lot to just get the car together, really. I went into Q1 and everything already felt a bit better, but it was still not, let's say, perfect. So yeah, I'm very happy then in Q3 that we could put these laps in.
"I still think it's not perfect, but in a better direction. So, for sure, for the next race we will have to analyse a bit why from the test to the race weekend it's so different for us, and also for me driving wise.
"But nevertheless, we are sitting here with two cars. So coming off last year I think this is again a very strong start for us. So yeah, very happy with that.
"Luckily in qualifying that's probably the best balance I've had throughout the weekend so far."
Asked about the race, he added: "That should normally be our stronger point than the one-lap pace. So hopefully we can show that again tomorrow."
Verstappen, though, knows he can take little for granted, acknowledging the field is closer than it was last season.
In Q1, first-placed Sainz and Nyck De Vries in 19th were separated by just over a second and, in addition to looking over his shoulder at the Scuderia, Verstappen may also have to concern himself with the threat of Aston Martin, who saw Fernando Alonso qualify fifth in his debut for the team ahead of the two Mercedes.
"They are all very close to us," Verstappen said when asked about to name his closest challengers. "Of course, we have shown really good race pace but we still need to show that tomorrow, and a lot of things can happen also during a race, which sometimes is not in your control.
"So yeah, we just, of course, need to focus on ourselves and try to do the best we can. And hopefully no crazy things will happen."
But Leclerc did not express much hope of Ferrari overhauling Red Bull in the race.
"I think we are only happy if we win," said Leclerc. "But again, realistically, they seem to be very, very quick.
"So I think in those weekends where we are a little bit underneath, that's exactly those weekend that we need to maximise and, and try to get what we can in terms of points.
"So yeah, if a win is possible tomorrow, I will go for it. If not, we'll try and get the maximum points."
Ja Morant apologised after an incident at a nightclub on Saturday led to the Memphis Grizzlies slapping him with a two-game suspension.
The point guard is under investigation by the NBA after appearing to show a gun during an Instagram Live video.
Morant will miss at least two games, the Grizzlies announced, with the 23-year-old to be absent for Sunday's meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers and the showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers two days later.
In a statement released to ESPN shortly after his suspension was confirmed, Morant apologised for his actions.
"I take full responsibility for my actions last night," he said.
"I'm sorry to my family, team-mates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organisation for letting you down.
"I'm going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
Ja Morant will miss at least the next two Memphis Grizzlies games, the team announced.
The point guard is under investigation by the NBA after he appeared to show a gun during an Instagram Live video at a nightclub on Saturday.
Morant's social media activity came a few hours after the 113-97 defeat to the Denver Nuggets, and he will now miss Sunday's meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers and Tuesday's face-off against the Los Angeles Lakers.
A statement from the Grizzlies read: "The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least the next two games."
Earlier on Saturday, NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed the league was looking into the incident.
Last month, the NBA launched an investigation into a separate situation involving associates of Morant and members of the Indiana Pacers' travelling party in January.
It was alleged a red laser was pointed at the Pacers' team bus from a car Morant was a passenger in, with the Indiana group concerned the light may have come from a gun.
The NBA could "not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon", the league finding "no evidence".
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will do anything it takes to see Lewis Hamilton win his record-breaking eighth world title.
Wolff would go as far as pushing Hamilton "around the track" if it meant the 38-year-old clinching his eighth Formula One triumph.
That would see Hamilton surpass Michael Schumacher, with whom he shares the record of seven championships.
Hamilton and Mercedes endured a difficult campaign last year, however, as he suffered the first winless season of his F1 career.
Mercedes' 2023 season did not off to the greatest start on Saturday, with Hamilton qualifying seventh and his team-mate George Russell in sixth for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
But Wolff is sure they will have more success than in 2022, and he will go to extremes to ensure Hamilton gets his eighth title at some stage.
"We're going to get his eighth. He has, compared to [Aston Martin's Fernando] Alonso, another four years in him as a minimum so we just need to get it done," Wolff told Sky Sports.
"Even if I have to push him around the track to win the eighth I am going to do everything that is needed."
Hamilton himself was confident he could close the gap on pole-sitter Max Verstappen in Sunday's season opener, and Wolff echoed the sentiment even if he conceded it was an ultimately disappointing qualifying session.
He added: "The gap is not ridiculous considering we only ran one tyre at the end but it is not where we want to be.
"We are continuing to develop the concept and thinking we could land it and fight for pole position and that wasn't the case today.
"That is the gap and this is what we need to find, or more, to win.
"We could have potentially overtaken Alonso [in fifth] with both cars but this is where we are. We are super critical with ourselves and what we need to achieve.
"We are looking at everything to get it right with the concept, should we have reacted earlier, all of that.
"Everybody in the engineering team thinks like that and we just need to get our act together."
It was a similar story for Russell, who said: "Our goal was to make sure we've got a car we can build upon and that there aren't any significant problems.
"We spent probably three-quarters of last year problem solving and now I feel we've got a car which is nice to drive.
"It generally feels like a good car, and now we can focus on adding downforce and performance which is what the team have done for so long.
"There are definitely signs to be positive, but we've got a lot to improve."
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen surprised himself by claiming pole position in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen, on the hunt for a third straight world title, will start at the front of the grid in Sunday's season-opening race after recording a quickest lap of 1:29:708 on Saturday.
Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez qualified in second to complete the front row, with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz behind them on the second row.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had to settle for seventh behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell, with Fernando Alonso wedged in fifth.
Ferrari had topped the opening two qualifying sessions but with Verstappen coming good in Q3, they elected against heading out again, instead choosing to conserve their tyres.
"It has been a bit of a tough start to the weekend yesterday and today not really finding my rhythm, but luckily in qualifying we managed to put the best pieces together," Verstappen said.
"I am very happy to be on pole. For the whole team coming off last year and again having such a strong car with Checo up there as well. It is amazing and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
"The changes slowed down the car a bit but we are still going faster, which is great to see. Throughout the year, you will see everyone increasing their performance again a lot and that is the beautiful thing about Formula One.
"I was actually positively surprised to be on pole after the struggles I had in practice. Normally our race car is better, so let's see."
Despite having plenty of work to do to compete for a podium finish, Hamilton was in a buoyant mood.
"We went in with a really open mind," he told Sky Sports. "I woke up thinking we were going to be a lot further behind, and so the fact we're even getting into Q3 was great.
"We made a step forward today and the car was feeling much more alive this morning, and all of a sudden we were in a different place to where we were the day before. But then we got to qualifying and for me the car just didn't feel alive, it felt kind of average.
"It's not an impossible mountain to climb, so that's a positive, and I know everyone back at the factory has been working so hard. We can definitely close the gap, we've just got really focus and push like never before."
Leclerc, meanwhile, was happy with Ferrari's strategy despite believing he had the chance to fight for pole.
"There wasn't any issue. I think we were in the fight for pole, which was a good surprise to be honest because I did not expect that after testing and after free practices that were a little bit difficult," Leclerc said.
"We managed to find that pace for the qualifying pace, which was great. However, we need to keep in our mind that on the race runs, we seemed to be a little bit on the back foot compared to Red Bull.
"I think that we're in a better place starting third with new tyres than starting first with older. I don't know if I would have been in pole or not but it would have been close."
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
6. George Russell (Mercedes)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
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