Formula One - Bahrain Grand Prix - Piastri wins a thriller in Bahrain, as McLaren makes history!

The fourth round of the 2025 season sees Oscar Piastri deliver a commanding performance to mark McLaren's first victory in Bahrain.

Photo: Clive Rose

QUALIFYING

The early stages saw all but the Red Bulls set their times quickly, with both McLarens looking strong from the outset, while Jack Doohan impressed late in the session by jumping to third position just before the flag, while Lewis Hamilton slotted in second. Max Verstappen left it late, but a strong first and second sector saw him safely through to Q2.

Out in Q1: Albon, Lawson, Bortoleto, Stroll, Bearman

Qualifying two was red-flagged early after Esteban Ocon crashed into the barriers at turn three, and once resumed, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli briefly grabbed first, only to be shuffled back by Russell and then McLaren’s Norris and Piastri. Pierre Gasly popped into third late with a strong second sector.

Out in Q2: Doohan, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Ocon

The third and final qualifying session turned into a McLaren vs Mercedes duel, with sector times swapping constantly. Antonelli momentarily held provisional pole before George Russell smashed the timesheets with a 1:30.364. Piastri, however, pulled off a flyer, setting the fastest second sector and going to the top with a 1:29.841. Verstappen struggled throughout qualifying, and could only manage seventh position, while Norris ended up in sixth.

Top 10: Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Gasly, Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Hamilton, Tsunoda

Photo: Mark Thompson

RACE

George Russell got a lightning start, but locked up heavily and nearly collected Piastri into turn one, meanwhile Norris scrapped with Charles Leclerc for third position, and Antonelli and Pierre Gasly went wheel-to-wheel for fifth and sixth. There was early trouble for Ollie Bearman with a lock-up, and Isack Hadjar made an aggressive pass on his teammate Liam Lawson.

Lando Norris faced scrutiny early on, being handed a five-second penalty for being out of position on the grid. Meanwhile, drivers who started on the medium compound tyre began to struggle, with Hamilton making his feelings known over the radio. The rhythm shifted as strategies unfolded, seeing Norris, Gasly and Verstappen triggering the pit stops on lap eleven, with most leaders following suit over the next few laps. Russell undercut Piastri but the McLaren driver responded a lap later and kept the net lead.

Photo: Clive Rose

Once Antonelli pitted, he came out on the medium compound, and impressed again, overtaking Gasly and even Verstappen on pure merit. Hamilton showed his undeniable talent, charging past Sainz, Verstappen, and eventually Antonelli, while Norris was in a dogfight with Leclerc, repeatedly swapping positions in a fierce but fair duel. Verstappen wasn’t happy, labelling the hard compound as “undriveable”, while also facing pit stop signalling issues, as well as a stuck front-right that dropped him to last position.

Debris at turn one to two on lap thirty-two brought out the safety car, seeing Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Norris and Hamilton all pitting for fresh mediums. The restart saw Leclerc defend bravely against Norris and Hamilton, before Norris pulled off a move to snatch third position from the struggling Ferrari driver.

By lap forty-five, Russell started signalling an issue with his DRS, while Carlos Sainz Jr. unfortunately retired the car a lap later. However, issues continued for Russell, seeing him potentially losing the dash, then complaining about gears. Lando Norris made an amazing move around the outside of Leclerc at turn four for third position, while Russell was noted for a DRS infringement, apparently deploying it when he shouldn’t have.

Photo: Bryn Lennon

Russell’s persistent issues saw Norris catch him for second position, while on the final lap Norris made a move around the outside at turn one, unable to make it work and eventually lost a few tenths. Meanwhile, a calm and quiet race for Oscar Piastri saw him take the victory, becoming the first repeat winner of the 2025 season, as well as the first win for McLaren at Bahrain. Lando Norris finished just seven-tenths behind the struggling George Russell, while the two Ferrari’s of Leclerc and Hamilton finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Max Verstappen passed Pierre Gasly on the final corner of the race for sixth position, while Ocon and Bearman scored double points for the Haas team, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli finishing just outside of the points-paying positions. Lewis Hamilton was voted the Driver of the Day.

TO THE STREETS OF SAUDI ARABIA

Formula One will return to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the 20th April, while Lando Norris continues to lead the drivers’ championship with 77 points, leading his teammate Oscar Piastri by just three points, with Max Verstappen dropping to third position with 69 points. McLaren continue to lead the constructors’ championship, and extend their lead by fifty-eight points over Mercedes-AMG, with Red Bull Racing only scoring ten points with a sixth position for Verstappen, and ninth for Yuki Tsunoda.