Oscar Piastri Takes Pole for Bahrain Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with his McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris finishing unexpectedly in sixth place after a mistake in his final qualifying lap.
Piastri set a time that was 0.168 seconds faster than George Russell, who will start alongside him in the race. Charles Leclerc secured the third spot, while Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli rounded out the second row alongside Leclerc.
This presents a significant chance for Piastri to gain ground in the drivers’ championship standings. Lando Norris leads by just one point over Max Verstappen, who qualified in seventh, while Piastri trails his teammate by 13 points.
Notable surprises emerged in the top 10, with Pierre Gasly showing competitive form in his Alpine team, which has yet to score this season, and Carlos Sainz performing well with his Williams. Sainz, who qualified 10th at the Australian GP but had failed to reach Q3 in Japan and China, finished eighth, outperforming both Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda.
Meanwhile, a potential complication arose for Nico Hülkenberg, who progressed to Q2 but was called in front of the stewards for allegedly exceeding track limits during Q1. This scenario could affect Alex Albon, who narrowly missed Q2, finishing just 0.042 seconds behind Hülkenberg.
Qualification Results
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
- Jack Doohan, Alpine
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
- Nico Hülkenberg, Sauber
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Alex Albon, Williams
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Ollie Bearman, Haas
Q2 Review: Ocon Crashes and Doohan Shines
A red flag was shown early in Q2 when Esteban Ocon crashed into the barriers, halting the session with 11:01 remaining. Although Ocon reported that he was unharmed, his car will need significant repairs after losing control at Turn 2 and colliding at Turn 3.
During the initial flying laps, Antonelli set a quick time of 1:31.178, which was initially unchallenged by teammate Russell. However, Norris and Piastri quickly bettered that time, with Piastri clocking in a fantastic 1:30.454.
In a surprising turn, Jack Doohan outperformed his more seasoned teammate Pierre Gasly at the start of the session. Nevertheless, Doohan was just narrowly knocked out, finishing 0.017 seconds behind Yuki Tsunoda.
