Daniel Ricciardo says he still believes points are achievable in the first Formula 1 race of the season, after a qualifying session that left him "a bit disappointed". 

The RB (formerly AlphaTauri) driver qualified 14th for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday morning (AEDT), with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri eighth fastest in his McLaren.

Defending world champion Max Verstappen qualified on pole, the 33rd of this career, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes's George Russel.

Ricciardo was hoping for more from his RB on Saturday morning AEDT, after promising signs on Friday.

The Australian had "five minutes of fame" after topping the timesheets at the end of the first practice, but once qualifying started he said he did not feel comfortable.

"I'm not too happy with my performance tonight and a bit disappointed, to be honest," he said.

"I think the weekend was going steadily and we were feeling fairly confident coming into qualifying.

"In the end, I never felt completely comfortable and felt like there was something I was struggling with during the lap, and therefore, didn't cross the line feeling like I'd done a good job.

"Tonight was the least comfortable I felt so far this weekend, but going into the race, the approach to the track and car is different, and I've got more confidence going into tomorrow."

Piastri said he believed he could match it higher up the grid during the race in his McLaren, despite a "tricky" qualifying session.

"I did struggle with the balance all session and felt a fair way off compared to yesterday," he said.

"However, going into tomorrow, I think we can be in the mix. The grid is quite tight and there isn't much in it, so it won't be easy, but we'll see what we can do."