Norris extended his lead in the world championship with a comeback drive in Bahrain but his nearest challenger in the standings is now close to home

On a weekend that McLaren was tipped to dominate by its rivals, it was a shock that it didn't lock out the front row.

There were a couple world champions who had difficult sessions, too. Max Verstappen was down in seventh for Red Bull, nearly six-tenths of a second off Piastri’s pole time. He never looked like hooking a lap up and struggled with his brakes throughout the session.