Oscar Piastri claimed a dominant victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading from pole to the chequered flag and closing the gap to McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the drivers’ championship. The Australian showed total control throughout the race, never seriously threatened after holding his lead at the start.
The battle behind him provided the drama. George Russell managed to hold onto second place for Mercedes, fending off a hard-charging Norris in the closing laps. Norris, who started sixth and served a five-second penalty for a false start, recovered impressively but ultimately fell just short. He made a late lunge on the final lap but couldn’t make it stick, securing McLaren a one-three finish. Norris remains championship leader, now only three points ahead of Piastri.
Verstappen struggles and drops to third place in Championship
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, having briefly passed Norris midway through the race, while Lewis Hamilton came home fifth in a quiet outing. Max Verstappen, fresh off a win in Japan, had a muted performance, struggling with pace and tyre management throughout. He eventually finished sixth, only passing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on the final lap. Verstappen is now eight points off the lead in third.
Piastri’s win never looked in doubt. After a clean getaway, he steadily pulled away as Russell and Norris slotted in behind. Norris’ penalty, incurred when he lined up too far forward on the grid, was served during his pit stop but didn’t cost him position initially. However, Ferrari’s alternate tyre strategy – starting on mediums instead of softs – gave Leclerc an edge during the second stint, allowing him to pass Norris on lap 25.
Safety Car
A safety car on lap 32 reshuffled the deck, with Russell, Leclerc, and Norris each switching to different compounds. Norris, now on mediums, began to close in. He battled Leclerc for several laps and eventually got past, before setting off after Russell. Though he reached the back of the Mercedes in the final laps, a failed attempt at Turn One left him too far behind to make another move.
Russell’s second place was hard-earned. In addition to the pressure from Norris, he struggled with electrical issues that affected braking and telemetry. At one point, he accidentally activated DRS in a restricted zone but avoided penalty due to the circumstances and his swift correction.
Behind the top six, Gasly secured Alpine’s first points of the year in seventh. Esteban Ocon delivered an impressive drive from 15th to eighth in the Haas, followed by Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull in ninth. Rookie Oliver Bearman took another point for Haas, finishing 10th for the second consecutive race.
Next race
Formula 1 heads to Saudi Arabia next as the triple-header continues. The racing weekend on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will take place from April 18th to 20th.
