McLaren Racing’s Oscar Piastri enjoyed a strong 2025 F1 Bahrain GP under the lights of the Sakhir International Circuit, capitalising on his MCL39’s strong pace in a race ultimately decided by tyre-strategy. Mercedes’ George Russell crossed the line just behind to claim P2 despite battling technical issues in his Mercedes, fending off a relentless Lando Norris, who completed the podium after a dramatic race that included a five-second penalty and intense late-race battles.
Piastri on pole for F1 Bahrain GP race
After a standout performance in Saturday’s intense Qualifying Session, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed pole position. Piastri was the only driver to set a time under 1:30 in Qualifying, beating Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.168 seconds. However, Russell did not join the Piastri on the front row. Instead, he started behind in P3 after Stewards handed him and teammate Kimi Antonelli one-place grid-drops due to them leaving the garage before the pit lane reopened after Esteban Ocon’s Q2 crash.
A mixed F1 Bahrain GP Qualifying for Ferrari and Red Bull
Instead, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc started from P2 after a surprisingly strong Qualifying session from the Monégasque driver. Although the Maranello-based team introduced new upgrades to the SF-25 ahead of the Bahrain GP race weekend, they still trailed McLaren and struggled to match the pace of Mercedes and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
While Leclerc impressed, Ferrari’s overall Qualifying results were mixed. Lewis Hamilton qualified P9, starting the race on the fifth row alongside Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda.
After a disappointing weekend in Japan, Tsunoda—now in his second outing with the Milton Keynes-based team—faced mounting pressure to prove his worth in the second Red Bull seat. His P10 start was encouraging, but Max Verstappen’s P7 grid position marked a setback for the reigning champion. Coming off a dominant win in Japan, Verstappen struggled in Bahrain and lined up behind title rival Lando Norris, who qualified sixth after falling short of his McLaren teammate’s pace.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly delivered one of the surprises of the session, qualifying fifth and starting fourth after Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli received a penalty. Although Gasly expected a solid lap, he admitted he had not felt confident enough to believe he’d outqualify so many frontrunners.
Piastri settles into early lead; Leclerc falls behind
As the clock hit 18:00, Piastri led the 20 drivers around te 5.412-kilometre circuit. With a variety of tyre strategies at play, and at least two pitstops expected, the 2025 F1 Bahrain GP race seemed set to be an exciting one under the floodlights of the Sakhir International Circuit.
Like Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and teammate Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc started the race on medium tyres. In contrast, Oscar Piastri, along with the majority of the grid, opted for softs—setting the stage for an unpredictable opening stint. “Anything is possible,” Pierre Gasly remarked before the lights went out.
At the start, Piastri launched off the line brilliantly to seize the early lead, while George Russell surged past Leclerc into P2. Though Russell locked up and ran wide into Turn 1—nearly collecting Piastri—both escaped unscathed.
Lando Norris also made an electric start from P6, slipping past a boxed-in Leclerc to snatch P3. Gasly held off a challenge from Kimi Antonelli to settle into P5, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz moved up to P6 by overtaking the Mercedes rookie. Further back, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, who started P14 after a Q2 crash, climbed to P12, while Alex Albon gained a position to move into P14. Rookie Oliver Bearman made an impressive start, jumping five places to P15.
As Albon advanced to P13, Race Control noted Norris for being “out of position” at the start, triggering a stewards’ investigation. A potential penalty loomed. Meanwhile, Hamilton, still on mediums and running in P9, reported poor grip—an early warning sign for those on the yellow-walled compound. Leclerc, too, looked unsettled, raising concerns for Ferrari’s race prospects.
Norris penalised as pit window opens
By Lap 5, Antonelli recovered from a sluggish start to force his way past Sainz for P6. Verstappen followed closely, snatching P7 despite a combative defense from the Spaniard. The Dutchman voiced his frustration over the radio, feeling Sainz’s move was over the limit. Meanwhile, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg were the first to pit, switching to mediums for their second stint.
On Lap 8, the stewards confirmed a five-second time penalty for Norris due to his false start. As he hunted down Russell, McLaren reassured him that he could recover the lost time. Behind them, Hamilton edged past Sainz for P8, with Tsunoda capitalising on the opening to grab P9. Further ahead, Antonelli moved into P5, while Leclerc—still in P4—voiced concern over brake issues, adding to Ferrari’s growing list of worries.
Verstappen on the hards after tricky pitstop
On Lap 11, Norris dived into the pits to serve his five-second penalty and switch to hard tyres. Gasly and Verstappen, locked in a battle for P6, followed him in. Despite the time loss, Norris rejoined ahead of both, with Gasly slotting in just behind. Verstappen, however, dropped behind Esteban Ocon after a delayed release during his stop—an uncharacteristic error from the Red Bull crew. With Ocon having already switched to mediums earlier, Verstappen now had to fight his way past the Haas without the benefit of strategy offset.
Two laps later, Antonelli pitted and rejoined behind Verstappen, while Tsunoda also came in but suffered a delay due to a problem with the release system. On Lap 14, Russell made his stop and returned in P8 after a smooth turnaround, crucially emerging ahead of Norris.
With Verstappen running the hard tyres, his performance became a key reference point—particularly for Ferrari, who were considering a potential one-stop strategy.
On Lap 15, race leader Piastri finally boxed and rejoined in third behind the Ferrari pair. Leclerc, having started on mediums, inherited the lead, with Hamilton trailing nine seconds behind in second. It marked the first time both Ferraris led a race in 2025.
In the midfield, Verstappen remained trapped behind Ocon, who was now gaining on Alonso. With the Red Bull stuck in dirty air for several laps, Verstappen’s tyre degradation became a growing concern—and a possible strategic factor for others assessing whether to stretch stints or commit to a second stop.
Ferrari drivers on new mediums
Meanwhile, Ferrari committed both Leclerc and Hamilton to a two-stop strategy, despite Hamilton voicing his frustration over team radio. Leclerc, now on a fresh set of mediums, rejoined the race in P4 ahead of Verstappen, as Piastri reclaimed the lead. Russell held second, with Norris—despite his earlier five-second penalty—settling into third. Leclerc focused on bringing his fresher tyres up to temperature as he prepared to close the gap.
Ocon, holding steady in P6, continued to frustrate Verstappen, who soon lost another place to Antonelli. Hamilton, rejoining in P11 after his stop, made quick progress by overtaking Tsunoda for P10.
By Lap 21, Jack Doohan began closing in on Verstappen, with Hamilton lurking just behind. While Doohan could not quite make the move stick, Hamilton—benefiting from fresher rubber—swept past both drivers in quick succession. He claimed P9 from Doohan and then P8 from Verstappen on Lap 22, as the Dutchman complained to his engineer about worsening brake issues.
Up front, Norris and Leclerc began to eat into Russell’s advantage. Antonelli, now running in P7, received a black-and-white flag for repeated track limits violations, while Isack Hadjar was also issued a warning.
With Leclerc now directly behind Norris, the Ferrari driver launched an attack for P3. Although Norris initially held firm, Leclerc’s pace advantage eventually told. On Lap 25, he completed the pass and immediately began to pull clear, quickly building a buffer of a few tenths.
Further back, Hamilton’s charge continued. He overtook Antonelli—his Mercedes successor—for P7, and then powered past Ocon to take P6, underlining the strength of Ferrari’s two-stop strategy in the middle phase of the race.
Verstappen switches onto medium; Ocon and Antonelli also pit
Meanwhile, Verstappen suffered another slow stop on Lap 27, switching onto the medium tyres. He fell to the back of the grid, suffering another setback in a miserable race. Norris, now in P4, on the other hand, was warned to play the long game as Leclerc hunted down Russell to fight for P2.
On Lap 8, Ocon and Antonelli pitted with the Haas driver beating the Mercedes driver, now on the hard tyres, out onto the track. Antonelli then fell behind Stoll and Lawson but recover a place by overtaking the latter. Gasly and Doohan then pitted with Gasly emerging P10. Doohan, on the other hand, having been the second car in Alpine’s double-stack fell to P17. By Lap 30, Antonelli had made up a place, getting past Stoll. With him on soft tyres, he soon gained on Ocon, as Verstappen pulled himself in P14, settling behind Antonelli, though with the fastest lap.
Debris on track brings out the Safety Car
Verstappen’s race went from bad to worse on Lap 27, as he endured yet another slow pit stop—this time switching to medium tyres. The delay dropped him to the back of the field, compounding what had already been a frustrating outing for the reigning champion. Meanwhile, Norris, now running in P4, was urged by McLaren to “play the long game,” as Leclerc closed in on Russell in the fight for second.
On Lap 28, both Ocon and Antonelli pitted. The Haas driver emerged ahead, beating Antonelli—now on hard tyres—back out onto the track. The Mercedes rookie then fell behind both Stoll and Lawson but quickly recovered a position by overtaking the Racing Bulls driver. Shortly after, Gasly and Doohan made their stops, with Gasly rejoining in P10. Doohan, the second car in Alpine’s double-stack, was not as fortunate—dropping to P17.
By Lap 30, Antonelli clawed back another position by passing Stoll. Armed with soft tyres, he rapidly began reeling in Ocon ahead. Verstappen, meanwhile, recovered to P14 and set the fastest lap of the race, slotting in just behind Antonelli. While his pace showed promise, the damage from earlier setbacks had left him with an uphill climb and limited time to make an impact.
A fierce battle for points into the final stint of the race
As the race settled back into rhythm following the earlier flurry of pit stops and position changes, the front-runners spaced out, with none within DRS range heading into Lap 43. However, the battle for the final points-paying positions remained alive in the midfield, with Doohan, Tsunoda, and Bearman all eyeing a spot inside the top 10.
On Lap 44, Norris began to apply pressure on Leclerc, creeping within a second and activating DRS. With the McLaren driver on the grippier medium tyres, he had the upper hand in pace. Leclerc, on older rubber, was forced into a defensive mode. Further ahead, Mercedes informed Russell of a DRS malfunction—an issue that could put his P2 under threat.
By Lap 46, Norris made his first serious attempt to pass Leclerc but could not make it stick. The Ferrari driver held his ground, fending off the challenge and keeping McLaren at bay—for now.
Meanwhile, disappointment struck for Carlos Sainz. The Williams driver was forced to retire after significant damage was discovered on his car’s sidepod—a gaping hole caused by earlier contact with Tsunoda. It was a frustrating end to what had been shaping up to be a strong race weekend for the Spaniard at the F1 Bahrain GP.
Norris claims P3 as issues plague Russell’s race
On Lap 49, Norris made a bold move on Leclerc in the fight for the final podium position, drawing alongside the Ferrari into Turn 1. Leclerc, under immense pressure, held firm and forced Norris wide—though the McLaren driver voiced his frustration over team radio, the Stewards took no action as Leclerc had kept his car within the white lines.
Despite the failed attempt, Norris did not back off. He launched another challenge on Lap 51, but with his tyres fading from prolonged running in dirty air, he struggled to find the grip needed to complete the move. Leclerc, though clearly struggling, continued to defend hard.
Up ahead, Russell remained settled in P2 of the F1 Bahrain GP race, but was soon informed of a dashboard issue. As Leclerc and Norris battled behind him, the Mercedes driver seemed focused on staying clear—but his problems escalated. A gear issue struck on Lap 52, opening the door for Norris to pounce. The McLaren driver capitalized swiftly, overtaking both Leclerc and Russell to snatch P2 and reclaim the championship lead. Leclerc, pushing hard, locked up and fell back further.
Struggling Russell to be investigated for DRS infringement
Russell’s woes continued, as Race Control flagged him for a DRS infringement. With mounting technical problems, questions began to surface over whether he’d even finish the race. On Lap 54, Norris was shown the black-and-white flag for repeated track limit violations, while Lawson, running in P13, was hit with a 10-second time penalty by the stewards.
As the race entered its penultimate lap, McLaren issued a warning to Norris to be cautious with DRS usage, given ongoing telemetry issues that made it difficult to confirm the exact intervals. But Norris was not backing down. In the final lap, he attacked Russell once again—this time going wheel-to-wheel. Russell managed to hold him off, defending with everything he had, but Norris stayed glued to his rear wing, relentless in his pursuit as the finish line approached.
Piastri wins the 2025 F1 Bahrain GP race
Ultimately, it was Oscar Piastri who sealed a commanding victory of the 2025 F1 Bahrain GP race, showcasing flawless pace and composure from start to finish. Behind him, a troubled but determined George Russell held on for P2 despite battling dashboard and gearbox issues. Lando Norris, having fought hard through traffic and adversity—including a five-second penalty and late-race DRS warnings—crossed the line in P3, narrowly missing out on second place.
Ferrari, who showed strong potential in the second stint, had to settle for P4 and P5, with Charles Leclerc leading teammate Lewis Hamilton home. Despite their early promise, the Scuderia could not maintain the pace needed to fight for the podium in the closing stages.
Max Verstappen, enduring one of his more difficult weekends, salvaged P6 after finally getting past Pierre Gasly in the latter laps. Gasly settled for P7, unable to respond to the Red Bull’s late-race charge. Esteban Ocon delivered an impressive recovery to take P8, making the most of his strategy after a rough Saturday, while Yuki Tsunoda finished P9 in what was a solid if not spectacular showing in his second race for Red Bull Racing. Rounding out the top ten was rookie Oliver Bearman, who secured a point for Haas after a consistent and opportunistic drive.
With several post-race investigations still pending—including Russell’s DRS infringement and various track limit violations—the final classification remains provisional, and more drama may yet unfold after the chequered flag.
2025 F1 Bahrain GP Race results
- Oscar Piastri
- Geogre Russell
- Lando Norris
- Charles Leclerc
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Oliver Bearman
- Kimi Antonelli
- Alex Albon
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Isack Hadjar
- Jack Doohan
- Fernando Alonso
- Liam Lawson
- Lance Stroll
- Gabriel Bortoleto
DNF: Carlos Sainz
