PIASTRI STORMS TO CONTROLLED VICTORY IN BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX AHEAD OF RUSSELL AND NORRIS
Bahrain
ROUND
RECAP
Oscar Piastri became the first multiple race winner of the 2025 season by taking a sublime victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, the Australian driver putting in a cool and collected drive to seal P1 on his 50th start in F1 as well as marking McLaren’s first triumph in Sakhir.
After making a strong start from pole position – despite a close call from George Russell when the Mercedes driver locked up into Turn 1 – Piastri built a solid lead throughout the laps that followed.
While there was early trouble for team mate Lando Norris – who was hit with a five-second time penalty for being out of position in his grid box – the McLarens again looked impressive as the race played out, with the Briton working his way forwards.
And while Piastri’s position potentially looked under threat when a Safety Car emerged, the 24-year-old made a clean getaway at the restart and went on to rebuild a gap in the laps that followed, eventually crossing the line with a 15-second lead.
Russell ultimately took second, holding off a thrilling late chase from Norris, though the Silver Arrows driver had to wait for an investigation after the Grand Prix for a potential DRS infringement. Norris was just 0.774s behind Russell at the finish, a good recovery from the McLaren racer after a difficult Qualifying on Saturday.
Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth – despite putting up a good fight against Norris during a scrap for third in the latter stages – ahead of Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton in fifth, while Max Verstappen snatched sixth place in the final moments on what had been a tough evening for the Red Bull man, having experienced issues at both of his pit stops.
Pierre Gasly scored Alpine’s first points of the campaign in seventh while Esteban Ocon followed in eighth, the Haas racer’s strategy of an early pit stop seemingly paying off. Yuki Tsunoda took ninth for Red Bull, with Ollie Bearman adding to Haas’ tally in 10th.
Kimi Antonelli just missed out in P11, the Mercedes rookie losing out after running in the points earlier in the event, while Alex Albon was the sole Williams to finish the race in P12. Nico Hulkenberg claimed P13 for Kick Sauber, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.
Jack Doohan ended the event in P15 as his search for his debut points of the season continues, with Fernando Alonso a disappointing P16 in the Aston Martin. Liam Lawson took P17, the Racing Bulls man having been hit with a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Hulkenberg.
Lance Stroll and Gabriel Bortoleto were the final classified runners in 18th and 19th respectively, with Carlos Sainz the only retiree owing to damage sustained to his Williams after contact with Tsunoda.
WINNER'S WORDS
"Great to have this result out here. It’s been an incredible weekend, starting off with Qualifying yesterday. To finish the job today in style was nice. I can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given us – it’s pretty handy out there. I’m very proud to do it here in Bahrain as well, it’s obviously a very important race for us given our owners. It’s never been a track that’s been kind to us, so it’s nice to finally have that first win for the team here."
Oscar
PIASTRI
