Kevin Magnussen said he put the pedal to the metal in qualifying without even thinking about getting a good spot on the Bahrain grid.
That is because, no matter where the Dane qualified, he would always have to start Sunday’s race from the pitlane after running a red light on Friday.
"It’s no secret that it was my goal to beat my teammate," said Magnussen, who duly succeeded in going a couple of tenths quicker than Jolyon Palmer, who had beaten him in qualifying two weeks ago in Australia.
However, the yellow Renaults were just 19th and 20th fastest in qualifying, with Magnussen telling the Danish broadcaster TV2: "We knew this track would be difficult for us because of the long straights. We do not have enough power."
Only slightly higher on the grid in Bahrain is the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat, who amid rumours he could be relegated to Toro Rosso for 2017 is furious about being a second off teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s pace.
"Never in my career have I been so happy with the car (in practice) and then I am so far behind in qualifying," he told Russia’s Sportbox. "I can say as a driver that I am not a second slower than Ricciardo. I’m very, very upset."