F1
Oscar Piastri took pole position as championship leader Lando Norris had a surprisingly disappointing qualifying in sixth; both Mercedes cars given one-place grid penalties; watch the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday at 4pm, with build-up from 2.30pm live on Sky Sports F1
By Nigel Chiu in Sakhir
Saturday 12 April 2025 22:28, UK
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Oscar Piastri took pole position in a dramatic end to qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix as championship leader Lando Norris was only sixth.
Piastri made the most of his McLaren team-mate Norris’ scruffy final lap in Q3 to record his second career F1 pole by less than two tenths from George Russell, but the Mercedes was later demoted to third by a one-place grid penalty for being prematurely released from his garage ahead of a restart during Q2.
That ruling promoted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc from third to the front row, while Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli was punished for the same offence and dropped from fourth to fifth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly the other beneficiary.
McLaren were expected to lock out the front row after dominating practice but a poor last lap from Norris as the track ramped up left him facing a fight through the field on Sunday.
Norris leads the championship by just one point from Max Verstappen, who will start right behind the McLaren driver as he struggled with his Red Bull’s braking throughout qualifying.
With Piastri only 13 points behind Norris in the standings, he has an opportunity to make inroads into his deficit after the Bahrain Grand Prix, which begins at 4pm live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday.
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Lewis Hamilton endured another disappointing qualifying session as he was ninth behind Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard delivering his best showing yet for Williams after being replaced by the seven-time world champion at Ferrari.
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Yuki Tsunoda ensured Red Bull had two drivers in Q3 for the first time this season but could only manage 10th.
Haas’ Esteban Ocon crashed heavily into the barriers during Q2, which resulted in the red flag and restart that led to the Mercedes penalties, but managed to walk away from the accident.
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1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) George Russell, Mercedes*
4) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
5) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes*
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
8) Carlos Sainz, Williams
9) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
10) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
Demoted one place by grid penalty
Throughout practice, McLaren were clearly ahead of the field but Piastri has been setting the pace since second practice on Friday.
Having topped Q2 and gone fastest after the first Q3 runs, Piastri faced serious pressure when Russell delivered a great lap on the evolving track to take provisional pole.
The Australian delivered with a 1:29.841 to beat Russell’s time by 0.168s, so attention turned to Norris, who was behind on the circuit.
Norris was third following the opening Q3 laps but made an error at Turn One on his last run and shredded more time over the remainder of the lap to end up 0.426s adrift of pole in sixth.
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Antonelli and Gasly jumped the British driver with their best qualifying performances of the season, both within four tenths of Piastri.
“I’ve felt confident out there pretty much all weekend. FP1 was an experience for us all I think, it felt more like a rally car than an F1 car,” said Piastri.
“But from then on, I’ve felt really comfortable with the car. FP3 we had good pace. In qualifying, the others caught up a little bit closer than what I wanted but I still delivered the laps when it mattered, which was the most important thing at the end. So very happy.”
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Verstappen rescued a frustrating session in seventh having suffered from brake issues which may have been created by a set-up change.
It looked like Tsunoda was going to outqualify the Dutchman but the Japanese driver had to settle for 10th, although will be relieved to reach Q3, which is the first time Verstappen’s team-mate has done so in 2025.
Hamilton had another disappointing qualifying for the second weekend running as he trailed team-mate Leclerc by 0.597s. Ferrari brought a new floor to Bahrain but it does not seem to have given Hamilton the same confidence Leclerc has.
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Elsewhere, there was controversy when the stewards announced Nico Hulkenberg’s lap from Q1 had been deleted for track limits after the Sauber driver had already finished and been knocked out in Q2.
Had the lap deletion been confirmed before Q2, Alex Albon would have competed in the second part of Qualifying instead of being eliminated in Q1 in 16th.
The stewards later admitted they did not deem Turn 11, where Hulkenberg breached track limits, “to be an area of focus” and “got it wrong” to not delete the lap earlier.
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Sunday April 13
Formula 1 continues its triple-header in Sakhir at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
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