F1
Oscar Piastri dominates Bahrain Grand Prix to become first driver to claim second victory of season; Mercedes’ George Russell holds off Lando Norris to deny McLaren one-two; Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth, respectively, for Ferrari
Sunday 13 April 2025 20:12, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Oscar Piastri completed a flawless victory as George Russell held off Lando Norris for second at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Piastri led from lights to flag to finish 15 seconds clear of Mercedes’ Russell, despite having had a seven-second lead erased midway through a frenetic race by a Safety Car period.
Norris, whose advantage over his team-mate Piastri at the top of the world championship was reduced to three points, passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing stages to claim a podium after a hugely eventful evening from sixth on the grid.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Russell faced a post-race investigation for a DRS infringement as several technical elements on his car appeared to fail during the closing laps, but avoided a penalty as the stewards found him not to have gained any sporting advantage.
Leclerc paid the price for a poor start from second on the grid as he was left to settle for fourth, but his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a more positive afternoon as he gained four positions to claim fifth.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen ended a highly frustrating afternoon, which included two rare slow Red Bull pit stops, on a positive note as he passed Alpine’s Pierre Gasly for sixth on the final lap to ensure his deficit to Norris was only extended to eight points.
Verstappen’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda scored his first points for the team in ninth, finishing between Haas duo Esteban Ocon (P8) and Oliver Bearman (P10), who delivered a remarkable result for the team by gaining 16 places between them.
F1 in 2025: The full race schedule
Stream every F1 race with NOW
Listen to The F1 Show podcast
Bahrain GP Results
A first win for the Bahrain-owned McLaren at their ‘second home race’, along with Norris’ third place, extended their lead over Mercedes at the top of the constructors’ standings to 58 points.
1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2) George Russell, Mercedes
3) Lando Norris, McLaren
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8) Esteban Ocon, Haas
9) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
10) Oliver Bearman, Haas
Sunday’s race was in keeping with the way much of the weekend had gone, with Australian Piastri appearing to effortlessly extract performance out of his McLaren while Norris struggled.
The reigning constructors’ champions had gone into qualifying with just about the entire paddock expecting them to cruise to a one-two, but Norris bungled his final flying lap to fall to sixth on the grid as Piastri calmly delivered pole.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
In the race, Piastri once more did exactly what was expected of him, holding off Russell’s attempt to pass around the outside at the first corner before gradually opening up an advantage out front.
The gap had grown to seven seconds after the first round of pit stops, when a Safety Car was sent out on lap 32 to allow debris to be cleared from the track, which triggered the leaders to make their second stops earlier than planned.
That suited McLaren, who at this point were the only team among the front-runners with another available fresh set of the most performant medium tyre, while Russell was forced to see out the final 25 laps on a fading soft tyre.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Piastri calmly controlled the restart and was in a league of his own on the final stint, comfortably pulling clear to become the first driver to secure two wins this season and reaffirming his credentials as a world championship contender.
Piastri said: “It’s been an incredible weekend starting with qualifying yesterday and finishing the job today in style is nice.
“It’s very important given our owners. It’s never been a track that’s been kind to us, so it’s nice to have our first win here.”
After his qualifying error, the clear target for Norris was to come through to secure a McLaren one-two behind Piastri, and he made the perfect start, or at least appeared to have done so.
Norris jumped three positions in the opening corners but delight quickly turned to disappointment as he was found to have started from an incorrect position and given a five-second time penalty to be served at his first pit stop.
He couldn’t pass Russell on the first stint and the penalty removed the possibility of undercutting the Mercedes.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Norris then lacked pace on the second stint and was passed by Leclerc, before also temporarily losing fourth to Hamilton in a battle at the Safety Car restart.
While Norris swiftly regained the position, the tussle, which saw him have to give the place back to Hamilton after overtaking the Ferrari off track, cost him valuable seconds which could have aided him later in the race.
A big lock-up at the first corner delayed him in getting past Leclerc, which he eventually did with five laps remaining to restore McLaren hopes of a one-two.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
He quickly closed to Russell’s rear wing, but was over-eager at the first corner on the final lap and blew the chance that could have followed in the second DRS zone a few corners later.
Norris said: “A tough race. I made too many mistakes with the overtakes, out of position [at the start].
“A messy race from me. Disappointed to not bring home a one-two for McLaren because that would have been lovely at home.”
Formula 1 completes its first triple-header of 2025 in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
© 2025 Sky UK
