Charles Leclerc handed the Italian glamour team Ferrari their first pole position in over two years on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Monegasque lit up the timing screens with a lap of one minute 30.558 seconds to beat world champion Max Verstappen by 0.123 seconds.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz missed out on handing Ferrari their first front-row lockout since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix by 0.006 seconds and had to settle for third. That was also the last time a Ferrari started a race from the front.

"It feels good. The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team and we knew this year's rules would be an opportunity for us," said Leclerc after taking his 10th career pole and second in Bahrain.

"I am very happy today in a tricky qualifying session; I wasn't happy with my driving," he added.

Ferrari have not won a race since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix but have been hyped by rivals as early favorites in F1's new era, featuring cars designed to radically new rules aimed at improving the racing spectacle.

Verstappen, who clinched his first title at last year's finale in Abu Dhabi, had gone fastest in the final practice session earlier on Saturday.

He could not hit the sweet spot with the balance when it mattered, however, but is confident he has a strong car for the race.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton put a positive spin on his Mercedes team's underwhelming display in qualifying.

The Briton will start Sunday's race from the third row of the grid in fifth after lapping 0.6 seconds slower than Leclerc.

"I generally feel positive about today," Hamilton, who has won in Bahrain for the last three years in succession, told reporters after qualifying.

"We definitely didn't expect to be fifth so I'm happy to be in there. The guys ahead, they are a lot quicker. But I do know there's potential and we've just got to work very, very fast and be precise over these next weeks to try and close that gap as soon as we can," added the 37-year-old.

Hamilton's teammate George Russell will line up ninth for his first race as a full-time Mercedes driver.

Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, who is set to become the first Chinese driver to race in F1, will line up 15th.

The 22-year-old Chinese racer finished 11th, 15th, and 9th in three practices respectively.

(With input from agencies)