Michael Schumacher will start the Bahrain Grand Prix in 18th place after he was eliminated in the first qualifying session Saturday.
Seven-time world champion Schumacher tried to conserve a set of the faster soft tires, but his gamble failed to pay off as Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen took advantage of the soft tires and a stickier track to beat the Mercedes driver’s time by just 17 thousanths of a second.
Kovalainen’s teammate, Russian driver Vitaly Petrov, will start in 20th place.
Schumacher could yet gain a place if Williams driver Pastor Maldonado finishes 13th or lower in the second session, as the Venezuelan faces a five-place grid penalty for an illegal gearbox change.
Petrov will profit if Maldonaldo qualifies 15th or lower.
Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne dropped out in the first session for the third race in a row and will start in 19th.
