Oscar Piastri delivered a superb performance to claim pole position for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, beating George Russell in a dramatic qualifying session that saw several big names falter under pressure.
The McLaren driver clocked a 1m29.841 to edge out Mercedes star Russell by 0.168s, with Charles Leclerc taking third for Ferrari. But the shock came from the other side of the McLaren garage, with championship leader Lando Norris only managing sixth after a disappointing final lap.
After topping the timesheets in FP3, Piastri carried his pace into qualifying. He was fastest in Q2 and executed a perfect final run in Q3, securing his second career pole position on a track where overtaking is possible — but clean air remains a major advantage.
“I felt confident out there all weekend,” said Piastri. “Qualifying — the others caught up a little closer than I wanted, but I delivered the laps when it mattered.”
Russell stars for Mercedes
Russell gave Mercedes their best qualifying result of the season so far, securing a front-row start. Behind him, Leclerc managed to split the two Mercedes drivers, with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli producing a superb lap to claim fourth.
Pierre Gasly stunned the paddock by securing fifth for Alpine, just 0.003s behind Antonelli.
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Having looked strong through Q1 and Q2, Norris struggled to get the tyres working optimally in the final part of qualifying. The Briton was visibly dejected after the session.
“I’m just not quick enough,” said a frustrated Norris, offering little further explanation. He will start sixth, ahead of Max Verstappen, who endured a scruffy session and complained of brake issues.
It was a difficult evening for Red Bull. Verstappen, just one point off the championship lead, will start seventh, while Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10 after failing to hook up a clean lap.
Carlos Sainz was eighth for Williams, with Lewis Hamilton ninth for Ferrari after having his first lap deleted for track limits.
