Oscar Piastri secured McLaren’s first victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix with a disciplined performance from pole position, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Lando Norris, after overcoming a starting grid penalty, demonstrated strong determination to finish in third place at the checkered flag.
At the beginning of the race, pole sitter Piastri maintained an advantageous start to take the lead. However, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc experienced a slow start and was overtaken by Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Further back, Max Verstappen also encountered a challenging start and was passed by Williams’ Carlos Sainz. Verstappen subsequently settled into eighth position, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
“It’s been an incredible weekend, starting off with qualifying yesterday and, yeah, to finish the job today in style was nice. So, yeah, can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given us,” Piastri said. “It’s pretty handy out there. So no, it’s been a great weekend and, yeah, very proud of what I’ve done this weekend as well. Very proud to do it here in Bahrain as well. It’s obviously a very important race for us, given our owners, and 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.”
During the initial stint, Piastri assumed the lead, while Sainz advanced to sixth position. However, he was soon overtaken by Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, with Verstappen following the Italian driver at the hairpin to regain seventh place. Sainz subsequently dropped back, and by lap 9, both Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull overtook the Williams driver.
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Norris encountered an issue prior to the start. The McLaren driver halted prematurely on the grid, and when attempting to move, he positioned his car outside the designated grid slot. As a result, he was issued a five-second time penalty.
The soft tires that many drivers had initially started with began to lose performance. By the end of lap 10, Norris was the first to change tires. He made a pit stop, served his time penalty, and switched to Mediums.
“The steering wheel wasn’t working properly, so it was really hard fought to keep Lando behind,” Russell said. “I think one more lap, he would have got me pretty comfortably. But nevertheless, really, really pleased with P2.”
Sixth-place finisher Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen were next to make a pit stop. However, Verstappen’s transition to the Hard compound Pirellis took approximately 4.7 seconds. Upon re-emerging, he was approximately three seconds behind Gasly, with slower vehicles positioned between them.
At the front, Medium-tire starters Leclerc and Hamilton assumed the lead positions, followed by Piastri and Russell. Norris advanced to fifth, positioning ahead of Gasly and Haas driver Esteban Ocon, while Verstappen was in eighth place.
Ferrari executed a pit stop at the end of lap 17. Following the stop, Leclerc rejoined the pack in fifth position and shortly overtook Gasly. Meanwhile, Hamilton advanced to P11 and, utilizing his fresher tires, quickly overtook Tsunoda.
On lap 20, Verstappen was overtaken by Antonelli at Turn 4. Facing issues with overheating, Max soon came under pressure from Hamilton, who was progressively advancing through the field.
At the front, Piastri was gradually extending his lead over Russell, reaching a five-second advantage by lap 24. Norris maintained third position but was under pressure from Leclerc, who nearly overtook him at Turn 1 but was unable to complete the pass. However, Leclerc remained persistent and on the subsequent lap successfully overtook Norris at Turn 4 to secure third place.
With the second pit stop window now open, Tsunoda advanced to P7. However, on lap 31, he made contact with Sainz. The Red Bull driver veered sideways into the Williams vehicle, resulting in damage to the Spaniard’s car. Debris was scattered across the track, leading to the deployment of the Safety Car. Consequently, the pit lane was quickly filled with drivers taking advantage of the caution period.
Following the safety car, Piastri remained in the lead, followed by Russell, Leclerc, Norris, and Hamilton. Gasly advanced to sixth position, ahead of Ocon and Verstappen, with Alpine’s Jack Doohan in eighth place, followed by Sainz and Tsunoda.
The Safety Car withdrew from the track at the conclusion of lap 35, with Piastri maintaining the lead ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Hamilton and Norris engaged in a close battle; after exchanging positions twice, Norris ultimately advanced. Additionally, Verstappen made progress by overtaking Ocon to secure P7.
“A tough race. Of course, I made too many mistakes with the overtakes, the out-of-position,” Norris said. “It was a messy race for me and disappointed not to bring home a 1-2 for McLaren because it would have been lovely at home. So, a tough one—but still a few positives.”
In the final third of the race, intense battles unfolded throughout the field. Norris applied pressure to Leclerc for several laps; although the Ferrari driver initially defended successfully, his resistance waned, and on lap 52, Norris succeeded in overtaking. Further back, Verstappen closed the gap to Gasly and, on the final lap, was able to pass to secure sixth position.
At the front, Piastri maintained control and secured his second victory of the season after 57 laps. Russell finished in second place and was subsequently scheduled for an investigation regarding a DRS infringement late in the race, due to technical issues with his vehicle. Norris completed the podium in third, followed by Leclerc and Hamilton, who finished in fifth place ahead of Verstappen. Gasly placed sixth, ahead of Ocon, while Tsunoda scored his first points for Red Bull Racing with a ninth-place finish, concluding ahead of the second Haas driver, Bearman.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:35’39.435
2 George Russell Mercedes 57 1:35’54.934 15.499
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:35’55.708 16.273
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:35’59.114 19.679
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 57 1:36’07.428 27.993
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 57 1:36’13.830 34.395
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 57 1:36’15.437 36.002
8 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 57 1:36’23.679 44.244
9 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 57 1:36’24.496 45.061
10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 57 1:36’27.029 47.594
11 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 57 1:36’27.451 48.016
12 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:36’28.274 48.839
13 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 57 1:36’32.907 53.472
14 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 57 1:36’35.749 56.314
15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 57 1:36’37.241 57.806
16 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:36’39.775 1’00.340
17 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 57 1:36’43.870 1’04.435
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:36’44.924 1’05.489
19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 57 1:36’46.307 1’06.872
Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 45 1:17’36.543 Retirement
