Oscar Piastri Claims Pole Position for Bahrain Grand Prix

Sakhir, Bahrain – Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured pole position for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, clocking a time of 1m 29.841s during a thrilling qualifying session on April 12. Piastri’s achievement puts him ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc, setting the stage for an exciting race at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Piastri’s performance in qualifying capped off a dominant weekend for McLaren, which had led in practice sessions. Throughout Q1 and Q2, the team was consistently strong, but the final phase, Q3, saw intense competition. Piastri’s impressive lap time was two-tenths faster than Russell’s 1m 30.009s, with Leclerc finishing third, a further tenth and a half behind.

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes finished fourth, but he, along with Russell, will face a one-place grid penalty due to a team infringement. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly secured fifth place, while Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, ended up sixth despite facing issues with pace.

“I felt confident out there pretty much all weekend,” Piastri said. “We had good pace in FP3, and while the others caught up a bit in qualifying, I still delivered the laps when it mattered.”

Notably, Carlos Sainz, who has been performing strongly this season, qualified eighth, while Lewis Hamilton was disappointed with his ninth-place start, nearly a second behind Piastri. Hamilton lamented the need for improvement following a frustrating session.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished seventh after experiencing brake issues during the session, while Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten, making his first appearance in Q3 this season. Several other notable drivers faced difficulties, with Williams driver Alex Albon exiting in Q1.

The second qualifying session was disrupted by a crash involving Esteban Ocon, leading to a red flag and delaying the action as crews cleared the track. The mishap ultimately affected many drivers’ strategies, including Albon’s, who found himself unable to advance due to traffic in the pit lane during his qualifying run.

“It was difficult to get the timing right,” Albon’s team principal James Vowles commented. “We ended up losing temperature in our tires due to the traffic situation.”

As the clock ran down in Q2, Piastri and Norris showcased their McLaren’s pace, easily securing their places in Q3. However, the session showcased a tightly packed grid, with many drivers needing to optimize their strategies for the race.

The top ten positions after qualifying are as follows: P1 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren), P2 – George Russell (Mercedes), P3 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), P4 – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), P5 – Pierre Gasly (Alpine), P6 – Lando Norris (McLaren), P7 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull), P8 – Carlos Sainz (Williams), P9 – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), and P10 – Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull).

The Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled to commence at 1800 local time on April 13. As teams prepare for the race, the mixed grid and varying tire strategies promise an action-packed event.