The Scuderia Ferrari driver started the race on pole and continued to hold on to the top spot with a lead of0.699s, resisting the charge from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in the final stages.
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Lewis Hamilton completed a solid recover driver to finish third after starting ninth on the grid due to a gearbox penalty.
Ferrari identified a small electrical fault with Vettel’s vehicle after FP3, but he was ready to go again in time for qualifying under the lights at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull while his team mate Max Verstappen crashed in the opening part of qualifying, losing the vehicle under acceleration out of the tight second corner.
Kimi Raikkonen topped the leaderboard ahead of Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel in the second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was doing the maths in the auto: 10 laps to go, with that pace he’s going to catch me”, a relieved Vettel said.
Although it is very early, Mercedes is not looking the unshakeable, supremely reliable force it was when winning the drivers’ and constructors’ double in the past four seasons. “Far from ideal in the last run with the traffic but what can I do?” said the 2007 world champion.
French rookie Pierre Gasly took a stunning fourth place for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas.
Verstappen said: “We had a small issue this morning – these things happen so it doesn’t concern me too much”. “I started ninth so third isn’t bad at all”. The mechanic was taken to hospital to treat a broken leg soon after.
Raikkonen’s second stop – which led to his retirement from the race – indicated Ferrari were perhaps moving to a split strategy, with Vettel being left to manage his tyres to the end of the race. Three-tenths covered the Ferraris, the Mercedes and Ricciardo’s Red Bull in P5 heading into the final lap showdown.
Raikkonen’s unfortunate pit-lane incident on lap 36 put Hamilton into a podium position but Mercedes’ bid to outsmart Ferrari did not reap the ultimate reward.
Hamilton pitted on Lap 26, the team also putting him on mediums.
For teammate Daniel Ricciardo, the race ended shortly after Verstappen’s puncture, after his auto abruptly shut down at the exit of the Turn 8. “Our plan worked but just, Bottas had a bit of a sniff but ran out of laps”, he said.
Raikkonen looked like he was going to get his first pole since last year’s Monaco GP, but Vettel beat his time right at the end of qualifying under floodlights to clinch his 51st pole.
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Last year’s pole position victor Valtteri Bottas settled for the third place on the grid.
