Oscar Piastri wins Bahrain GP but George Russell faces penalty

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Oscar Piastri closed the gap to Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings to three points with victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix - Getty Images/Malcolm Griffiths

Oscar Piastri took a dominant victory in Bahrain to close to within three points of McLaren team mate Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship.

The Australian, for whom this was a second win in four races this season, was never in trouble, even when a mid-race safety car allowed his rivals to close back up behind him.

Norris, who started P6, had by his own admission a “messy” race, but the 25 year-old did manage to make up three places, narrowly failing to pass the Mercedes of George Russell on the final lap. Russell could still be in trouble with the stewards for activating his DRS when he was not allowed to.

Elsewhere, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a distant sixth.

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06:34 PM BST​

The next race...​

Is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next week. Here are the session times for that.

April 18
FP1 – 2.30pm BST
FP2 – 6pm

April 19
FP3 – 2.30pm
Qualifying – 6pm

April 20
Race – 6pm

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06:30 PM BST​

Your driver of the day​

Lewis Hamilton. Er, OK.

And your @salesforce#F1DriverOfTheDay is...

LEWIS!!! #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/9PkpgxTzVQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Think he had a decent race but probably at least five drivers in the top 10 had better races. Notably the race winner, George Russell, his team-mate, Pierre Gasly, the two Haas drivers...

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06:15 PM BST​

Is Lando Norris driving like a world champion?​

Zak Brown is bigging up Norris’s performance today but I think it was sub-standard.

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Some of the criticism last year was that he wasn’t ruthless enough and made too many mistakes. I think he has taken a step forward in that regard but I am wondering now if it is a smaller step than I thought. A messy weekend here no doubt and immensely so compared to Piastri who did not put a wheel out of place all weekend. He certainly doesn’t look as hooked up to the MCL39 as Piastri does.

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06:12 PM BST​

Zak Brown speaks to Sky Sports F1​

“We’re happy. That was great. To get this one for the big boss here is awesome. Our guys drove great. He was just on form as he’s always on form. Just this weekend he was dominant and totally in control. Mega race. George drove a great race and Mercedes is clearly very fast. Very happy.”

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06:06 PM BST​

Piastri gets his hands on a trophy​

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Piastri celebrates - Getty Images/Giuseppe Cacace

Four grand prix wins for him, two this year and two last. I think he has really improved in the areas he needed to. Qualifying pace compared to Norris and also how he uses the tyres in the race.

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06:03 PM BST​

Updated constructor standings​

McLaren pull further ahead of Mercedes, who had only one car score points. Haas move up to fifth after their double points finish. Alpine get on the board with Gasly’s excellent seventh.

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06:00 PM BST​

Updated driver standings​

Norris’s lead down to three points with Verstappen a further five points behind. Russell still in the equation with another superb podium. Got the most from the Mercedes today, no doubt.

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05:56 PM BST​

‘What a muppet’​

That is Norris’s verdict in the cool-down room on his attempted overtake of Leclerc, when he locked up at turn one.

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05:54 PM BST​

Norris on being out of position on the grid... and his race​

“I didn’t think I was that far forward I guess. A tough race, I made too many mistakes with the overtake. It was a messy race for me. Disappointed not to bring home a 1-2 for McLaren, but a few positives. It was good racing through so no complaints. It was fun, everyone hard and on the limit as it should be. He [Russell] did a good job. I thought I’d be able to get him but he was saving a little bit. I’ll try and step it up next weekend.”

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05:52 PM BST​

Russell on his second place​

Russell says he clicked the radio button and the DRS opened. That is the reason why he is under investigation.

“It felt all under control for a moment and then suddenly we had a brake by wire failure. Suddenly the pedal was going long, it was going short. I didn’t know what was going on and the steering wheel wasn’t working properly, so it was really hard fought to keep Lando behind. I think one more lap he would have got me but nevertheless really happy with P2. For us it’s been four races, three podiums all on different types of tracks, so it gives us confidence going into the future. It’s been a great weekend.”

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05:48 PM BST​

Piastri reacts to a second victory of 2025​

“It’s been an incredible weekend. To finish off the job in style today was nice. Very proud of what I have done this weekend as well, very proud to do it here in Bahrain as well, it’s an important race for us given our owners. It’s never been a track that has been kind to us, so it’s nice to have that win here.”

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05:47 PM BST​

Some cheer for Ferrari there?​

Their strategy choice helped them leap up the field in that second stint. Leclerc showing as more than 20 seconds adrift of Piastri, though I am not sure that is correct. Russell didn’t finish 16 seconds behind Piastri, did he? Anyway, it is all relative but it looked like they could at least fight the Mercedes and were much closer to McLaren for a good chunk of the race.

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05:43 PM BST​

Bahrain GP - Classification​

1. PIA 25pts
2. RUS 18pts
3. NOR 15pts
4. LEC 12pts
5. HAM 10pts
6. VER 8pts
7. GAS 6pts
8. OCO 4pts
9. TSU 2pts
10. BEA 1pt

Russell could well drop down from second to fourth for that. It would be fair but unfair, but rules are rules.

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05:42 PM BST​

OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE 2025 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX!​

A superb drive from the Australian in the McLaren. A deserved win. Russell crosses the line second, Norris third and Leclerc fourth. Hamilton fifth. Verstappen gets Gasly on the last lap for sixth...

The star of the show ️#F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/xrNJ2CYVPg

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

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05:41 PM BST​

FINAL LAP​

Norris has to back out of a move at turn one! Russell defends robustly and they almost touch. In fact, I think they did, lightly. That would have been the best opportunity but it’s not over yet...

Russell puts in a solid effort at turns nine and 10. That could be it on the road, though Russell may well take a five-second penalty for the incorrect usage of DRS. That would drop him down to fourth as it stands...

Piastri rounds the final few corners...

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05:39 PM BST​

Lap 56 of 57 - Norris and Russel duel for second​

Russell has done a superb job today. Has made these soft tyres last with some delicate driving. Quick, too. Norris needs to be patient but he is running out of time.

Verstappen gets a final track limits warning as he tries to get Gasly for sixth.

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05:38 PM BST​

Lap 55 of 57 - Top 10​

Piastri leads Russell, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Ocon, Tsunoda and Bearman.

Norris told that they can only use DRS when they are 100 per cent sure they are within range. I think that is because of Russell’s transponder issues rather than any issue with Norris.

He will use that on the pit straight here. I think Russell is getting a penalty here anyway so it may well all be academic.

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05:36 PM BST​

Lap 54 of 57 - Norris closes up on Russell​

Piastri cruising to victory here.

10-second time penalty for Lawson now for causing a collision. Not sure what that was for, we saw one earlier that he got a five-second penalty for. Penalties galore here.

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05:34 PM BST​

Lap 53 of 57 - Verstappen chasing Gasly for sixth​

Gasly doing a fine job but the Red Bull driver does have DRS. Norris has been given a black and white flag for track limits which means one more infringement and then he will get a five-second penalty.

Leclerc’s tyres have gone. I wonder if he might be vulnerable to Hamilton 6.5sec behind. Hmmm. Hamilton was seven-tenths faster last time but the gap is probably too big.

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05:33 PM BST​

Lap 52 of 57 - Norris finally gets Leclerc for third!​

Leclerc just did not have the grip and turn four and Norris sailed around the outside.

LAP 52/57

Total commitment at Turn 4!

Norris goes around the outside to snatch P3 away from Leclerc #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/iUUfQgan4F

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Russell has activated DRS when he was not supposed to. He is having some systems issues and also seemed to think his gears were going. That could well be a penalty for a man who has driven an excellent race. He is now nearly 10 seconds behind Piastri.

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05:31 PM BST​

Lap 51 of 57 - Piastri cruising out front​

6.6sec the gap to Russell. Russell is being helped enormously by the fight between Leclerc and Russell just behind him.

Norris is sticking to the Ferrari rear wing but has not raced the cleanest race in pursuit of Leclerc yet. Not that he is being dirty, just that there have been a few errors in there.

Here’s the top 10:

1. PIA
2. RUS
3. LEC
4. NOR
5. HAM
6. GAS
7. VER
8. OCO
9. TSU
10. BEA

Antonelli in 11th and then Albon right behind him. A big scrap for ninth in the offing.

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05:29 PM BST​

Lap 50 of 57 - ‘He pushed me off,’ Norris says​

Did he? Not sure. Would need to see another view. Anyway, he will have another go at some point. But Russell is now 2.8sec further up the road. Russell is told that he may lose information on his dashboard but that he should be ok.

“As long as the steering wheel doesn’t come off,” he replies.

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05:27 PM BST​

Lap 49 of 57 - Norris and Leclerc duel​

He has a good run down to turn four but then has to go wide... he cannot overtake off the track and does not make the move stick anyway, like he did with Hamilton. That was a position he had to give back, anyway. I would expect he is a bit frustrated in that cockpit.

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05:25 PM BST​

Lap 48 of 57 - Norris has Leclerc in his sights again​

Has not been a clean weekend from Norris but if he can finish second here he should be pleased with his work. Well, at least with his recovery today.

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05:23 PM BST​

Lap 47 of 57 - Sainz told to retire the car​

Here’s the top 10 and gaps:

1. PIA
2. RUS +4.4
3. LEC +5.9
4. NOR +7.2
5. HAM +11.5
6. GAS +14.6
7. VER +16.1
8. OCO +21.9
9. TSU +23.6
10. BEA +24.7

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05:22 PM BST​

Lap 46 of 57 - Norris locks up at turn one​

He was alongside Leclerc, who chose the inside line. It’s a pretty big lock up and loses him quite a bit of time, though gets that back fairly quickly after a small Leclerc error. Don’t think he will have flatspotted his tyres.

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05:21 PM BST​

Lap 45 of 57 - Russell has an issue with DRS​

I think it might be linked to the transponder issue that led to him disappearing off the timing screens. Replays show Sainz has an enormous hole in his right sidepod.

LAP 47/57

It's all over for Carlos Sainz

Damage to his sidepod picked up in his contact with Tsunoda has forced Williams to retire the car #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/WhLXszzv2w

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Norris close than ever on Charles Leclerc. Russell’s soft tyres are going off... he was 0.850sec slower than Piastri the last lap.

McLaren on for a 1-2 here.

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05:19 PM BST​

Lap 44 of 57 - Norris right on the rear wing og the Ferrari​

He gets DRS on the pit straight and again on the second straight. Sainz has 10-second penalty for forcing Antonelli off track at turn 10 (below). Seems fair. He’s in 16th currently anyway. Williams not looking in points contention here.

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05:18 PM BST​

Lap 43 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 1.9sec​

Norris the fastest man on track and 1.1sec behind third-placed man Leclerc. Gasly doing a good job holding up his old team-mate Verstappen in the fight for sixth.

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05:16 PM BST​

Lap 42 of 57 - Penalty for Lawson​

Five seconds for causing a collision. With whom? Don’t know. Here we go. He divebombed a Sauber at turn one. Hulkenberg.

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05:15 PM BST​

Lap 41 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 1.8sec​

Leclerc is 3.3sec behind.

Hamilton says the car won’t turn, which is a bit of a problem...

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05:13 PM BST​

Lap 40 of 57 - Norris has decent pace​

Mind you, so does Leclerc ahead of him. They were just a smidgen slower than Piastri the last time around.

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05:11 PM BST​

Lap 39 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps​

1. PIA
2. RUS +1.5
3. LEC +3.5
4. NOR +5.4
5. HAM +6.4
6. GAS +7.8
7. VER +9.3
8. OCO +12.5
9. DOO +12.6
10. TSU +13.4

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05:10 PM BST​

Lap 38 of 57 - Norris gets Hamilton for third​

He has dropped back a bit from the leader Piastri. Russell’s transponder is not working and is showing as out of the race. He isn’t. I can see he’s second on the TV pictures. I think he’s about 1.3sec behind Piastri.

LAP 38/57

Norris powers past Hamilton and moves up to P4 #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/10uwBdWYX2

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

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05:08 PM BST​

Lap 37 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 0.7sec at the start of the lap​

McLaren instruct Norris to hand the position back to Hamilton. He does that as they head into turn four this time around. Hamilton makes a bit of a mess of it, though, running wide. Norris back down into fifth.

By the middle part of the lap Piastri gets out of DRS range of Russell behind.

Antonelli having a tough race again. He is back down in 14th after a tussle with Sainz that forced him wide.

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05:07 PM BST​

Lap 36 of 57 - Piastri keeps the lead​

Norris loses position to Hamilton at the start of the lap but then gets it back on the outside of turn four! Hamilton says Norris passed him off the track. Hamilton made the dive around the outside of Norris at turn one as Norris squabbled with Leclerc.

LAP 36/57: Sparks fly at the restart!

Piastri holds onto the lead #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/UdtM6ch5jl

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Was Norris off the track when he passed Hamilton? I think he was.

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05:05 PM BST​

Lap 35 of 57 - SC in this lap​

The track has been cleared and the pack will bunch up...

Piastri on the mediums leads Russell on the softs and Leclerc on the hards. This could be fun.

Piastri backs the pack up. Russell stays glued to his rear wing as they approach the final couple of corners.

Piastri goes and Russell might have a chance here...

Not a good one for Leclerc, though.

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05:02 PM BST​

Lap 34 of 57 - Top 10 under the SC​

1. PIA - Medium tyre
2. RUS - Soft tyre
3. LEC - Hard tyre
4. NOR - Medium tyre
5. HAM - Hard tyre
6. GAS - Hard tyre
7. OCO - Hard tyre
8. VER - Medium tyre
9. DOO - Medium tyre
10. SAI - Hard tyre

Of that lot, Gasly, Ocon, Verstappen and Doohan did not stop under the SC, having stopped not too long previously.

Russell says that 24 laps on the soft is “audacious”. He’s not wrong. You do wonder if Mercedes have risked Russell stopping again and falling quite far down the pack.

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04:59 PM BST​

Lap 33 of 57 - SC works out well for Piastri​

He is able to pit without losing track position. The rest of the top four also come in. Soft tyres for Russell, obviously trying to get track position at the restart. That could be interesting. Bold. Leclerc has gone onto the hard tyre. Piastri onto the medium, as is Norris. Hamilton on the hards.

Both drivers box for mediums #McLaren | #BahrainGP https://t.co/lpmrI97QtPpic.twitter.com/AzyGglt3Wf

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 13, 2025

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04:57 PM BST​

Lap 32 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 7.2sec​

We have not seen much of him today. No troubles at all. Doing exactly what he needs to do without any danger.

Verstappen watch: he is in 14th chasing down Alonso. Scrap that, he overtakes Alonso for 13th somewhere out there.

Hamilton’s pace has been decent this stint...

We have a full Safety Car! Must be because of the debris.

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04:56 PM BST​

Lap 31 of 57 - Sainz gets Tsunoda​

But the two come together lightly and the Williams loses a few bits of carbon fibre... into sixth for the Spaniard and Williams currently on course for a good haul of points. Quite a bit of debris on the track. Wonder if they will have to do anything about that at race control.

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04:54 PM BST​

Lap 30 of 57 - Norris wonders why he has a light showing​

Not quite sure what it signifies or if it’s a problem but McLaren are investigating.

Top 10 as it stands. Everyone has stopped once apart from Gasly who has pitted twice.

1. PIA
2. RUS
3. LEC
4. NOR
5. HAM
6. SAI
7. TSU
8. ALB
9. BEA
10. GAS

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04:53 PM BST​

Lap 29 of 57 - Piastri leads by 6.7sec​

Just managing the gap out at front, a tenth faster than Russell and Leclerc.

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04:51 PM BST​

Lap 28 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 6.4sec​

Norris, in fourth, is told that he has a tyre advantage over those ahead of him. Antonelli pits and goes onto set of soft tyres. They will not make it to the end, surely, so he will be doing a three-stop stratey. He comes out right in the middle of traffic. Good qualifying but a tough race so far for the Italian.

Leclerc struggling to beat Russell’s pace now.

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04:49 PM BST​

Lap 27 of 57 - Norris struggling here​

He was 0.8sec slower than leader Piastri last time around. Leclerc is roughly on Piastri’s pace and is almost within DRS range.

It’s another very slow stop for Verstappen with a sticky right front. He comes out 20th and last on the road. As painful a weekend this week as Suzuka was glorious last week.

LAP 27/57

Verstappen is having a difficult race. He pits for the second time this evening. His first stop was slow and so is this one.

He comes back out in last place but he's already making up ground #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/0CxUN9CwCj

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

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04:47 PM BST​

Lap 26 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps​

1. PIA
2. RUS +5.6
3. LEC +7.4
4. NOR +8.7
5. GAS +15.7
6. HAM +19.8
7. OCO +20.6
8. ANT +22.0
9. VER +24.2
10. DOO +25.8

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04:46 PM BST​

Lap 25 of 57 - Leclerc gets Norris this time!​

And Hamilton in the other Ferrari gets Antonelli for seventh. The Ferrari strategy seems to be working well here. What they do from here, though, will decide how it all works out.

Leclerc only 1.6sec away from Russell now. Ferrari making big gains here. Let’s keep an eye on Leclerc’s pace compared to Piastri here.

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04:45 PM BST​

Lap 24 of 57 - Leclerc nearly gets Norris!​

Leclerc comes from a loooong way back into turn one... does he take Norris by surprise? The door was open and he steps into the gap. He goes in too deep though and Norris then gets him back before turns two and three to retake third. Maybe he saw it coming. It might only be a matter of time, though.

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04:43 PM BST​

Lap 23 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 5.1sec​

Black and white flags for Hadjar and Antonelli for exceeding track limits. A five-second time penalty if they do it again. And then again after that? 10 seconds.

Leclerc within DRS range of Norris for third now.

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04:42 PM BST​

Lap 22 of 57 - Hamilton making a charge, of sorts​

He gets Verstappen easily into turn 11 and is up into eighth. Next man up the road is Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes; 1.9sec the gap currently.

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04:39 PM BST​

Lap 21 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by four seconds​

There is pace to burn in the McLaren but four seconds is a healthy gap here. Extending it fairly comfortably each lap. Leclerc is closing up on Norris for third, too. We could see a three-way fight for third soon.

Verstappen not having a fun time at the moment. Everything is overheating, he says.

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04:38 PM BST​

Lap 20 of 57 - Anotnelli goes for it​

Verstappen and Antonelli scrapping at the start of the lap. Antonelli has the better grip and gets the move done on the exit of turn four heading into the esses. Nice move. Tidy. Ferrari currently quick on their new medium tyres. Hamilton and Leclerc both a second faster than leader Piastri on the last lap. Problem for Hamilton is he is 17.6sec away from the leader. Leclerc, though, is 7.6sec away.

LAP 20/57

Verstappen Antonelli

The teenager muscles his way past the four-time world champion and up to P7 #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/erBiYIoIoB

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Norris is making some inroads into Russell ahead in second.

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04:36 PM BST​

Lap 19 of 57 - Hamilton gets Tsunoda for 10th​

Here is the reshuffled top 10. Everyone has stopped now.

1. PIA
2. RUS +3.4
3. NOR +5.0
4. LEC +8.3
5. GAS +10.0
6. OCO +12.1
7. VER +12.9
8. ANT +13.2
9. DOO +15.1
10. HAM +18.0

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04:35 PM BST​

Lap 18 of 57 - Verstappen on the radio​

“No tyre grip at all,” he says. He is on the hards and is starting to look easy meat for Antonelli behind.

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04:34 PM BST​

Lap 17 of 57 - Verstappen under pressure from Antonelli​

Verstappen on the hard tyres, Antonelli on the softs. Antonelli gets alongside him but then drops back a little. A run down to turn 11 will be a chance, with DRS but sadly Verstappen has DRS too chasing Ocon.

Leclerc told to box for mediums. He is not happy about that. It means he is locked in for a two-stop strategy because he needs to run another compound of tyre. Hamilton also stops and goes onto the mediums as well. Hmmm.

LAP 18/57

Leclerc pits followed by Hamilton moments later #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/nVXtfsHi5i

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

They come out into traffic.

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04:31 PM BST​

Lap 16 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps​

1. LEC
2. HAM +9.4
3. PIA +15.7
4. RUS +17.7
5. ALB +19.1
6. NOR +20.7
7. GAS +23.4
8. ALO +24.1
9. OCO +25.0
10. VER +25.6

Drivers in italics yet to stop.

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04:29 PM BST​

Lap 15 of 57 - Piastri pits from the lead​

He comes out in third but that means it is a Ferrari 1-2. Remember both Leclerc and Hamilton on the medium tyres, so a contrary strategy to those other drivers in the top 10.

LAP 15/57

Our race leader pits to cover off second place Russell who pitted the lap before #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/SRjgoRgTsc

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Norris has lost ground to Russell since the Mercedes man emerged from the pits.

Drivers warned of a slippery surface at turns nine and 10. Those are tricky enough corners as it is.

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04:27 PM BST​

Lap 14 of 57 - Where does Russell come out?​

He’s just ahead of Norris and in seventh, who is battling with Lawson. That worked out. That is probably why they stopped him when they did. Alonso is between them, mind you.

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04:26 PM BST​

Lap 13 of 57 - Top 10​

Only Norris has stopped of this lot.

1. PIA
2. RUS
3. LEC
4. HAM
5. SAI
6. ALB
7. BEA
8. ALO
9. LAW
10. NOR

Let’s see how long Ferrari can go on their mediums. Tsunoda also has a problem with his pit stop light. Not what you want.

Russell pits from second.

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04:25 PM BST​

Lap 12 of 57 - Piastri stretching his lead​

Half a second quicker than Russell that last lap, nearly.

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04:24 PM BST​

Lap 11 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 3.9sec​

Not sure what happened with Verstappen’s stop. There was a red light on his pit box which is why he was delayed. But he went when it was still red. Perhaps a technical malfunction there.

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04:22 PM BST​

Lap 10 of 57 - Plenty of action out there​

I wonder if some drivers are starting to have their tyres fall off. Antonelli gets Gasly for fifth. Norris is closer to Russell than he has ever been but has not yet been close enough to have a proper look.

Norris pits from third. He serves his five-second penalty and changes to medium tyres. Also coming in is Verstappen, but that is a slow stop - 4.7sec. And he goes to the hard tyres.

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04:20 PM BST​

Lap 9 of 57 - Leclerc unhappy with his brakes​

Meanwhile Hamilton gets Sainz for eighth but only momentarily. Hamilton goes in a bit too deep into turn four and then he surrenders the position again. Tsunoda getting involved in that battle now but Hamilton gets DRS on the back straight and goes up the inside. Sainz then loses another place to Tsunoda.

Piastri says he’s starting to struggle a bit. He leads Russell by three seconds.

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04:18 PM BST​

Lap 8 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps​

1. PIA
2. RUS +2.9
3. NOR +3.5
4. LEC +5.1
5. GAS +6.4
6. ANT +7.7
7. VER +8.8
8. SAI +11.2
9. HAM +11.7
10. TSU +12.6

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04:17 PM BST​

Lap 7 of 57 - Penalty for Norris​

It’s a five-second time penalty. Not the worst thing in the world, really. Unless there’s a late safety car he should be fine, I think the McLaren has the pace to finish in the top two and well ahead of whoever is behind.

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04:15 PM BST​

Lap 6 of 57 - Verstappen noticed Norris being out of position​

Sharp as a tack, that lad. Piastri has pulled 2.4sec ahead of Russell. Norris cannot really make much of a dent in Russell as it stands. He’s close but hasn’t been close enough to have a look.

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04:13 PM BST​

Lap 5 of 57 - Movement in the top 10​

Antonelli gets Sainz at turn one to move back into sixth. Sainz then has his old team-mate Verstappen for company. The Williams driver then forces, I think, Verstappen wide at turn four but the Red Bull driver gets the position. Up into seventh.

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04:11 PM BST​

Lap 4 of 57 - Piastri leads Russell by 1.5sec​

Hamilton on the radio: “Grip is quite poor on this tyre.” He is on the medium tyre and within DRS range of Verstappen ahead in eighth. Gasly holding onto the back of the other Ferrari – 0.7sec the gap between them.

Norris now officially under investigation.

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04:10 PM BST​

Lap 3 of 57 - A penalty for Norris incoming?​

He has been noted for being out of position on the grid, in essence a false start. Oh dear.

Russell 1.5sec behind Piastri. Norris 0.9sec behind Russell.

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04:07 PM BST​

Lap 2 of 57 - Top 10​

1. PIA
2. RUS
3. NOR
4. LEC
5. GAS
6. SAI
7. ANT
8. VER
9. HAM
10. TSU

Bearman, who started last, had a good first lap into 15th but locks up heavily at turn one. One second between Piastri and Russell. Norris is 0.8sec behind Russell.

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04:06 PM BST​

THE 2025 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IS GO!​

Drama at the first corner! It’s a fine start for Piastri who keeps the lead but Leclerc is bogged down and loses second to Russell! Russell has a think about taking the lead but locks up at turn one... yet somehow manages to keep his Mercedes close to Piastri and they nearly collide.

We are away in Bahrain! pic.twitter.com/JzqQCJufmw

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 13, 2025

Excellent start for Norris, who is up already three places into third. Ideal first lap for McLaren. Norris definitely back into race contention here.

Verstappen down one place to eighth behind Antonelli. Sainz up into sixth, Gasly down into fifth.

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04:04 PM BST​

Here we go​

20 drivers have lined up on the grid. Who takes the lead at the first corner?

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04:03 PM BST​

The formation lap is under way​

Piastri leads the grid off on the formation lap #F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/J1qO7v5QpH

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

Think the chances of Piastri losing his lead to Leclerc off the line are slim giving the Ferrari driver is on the harder tyres, but let’s see...

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04:00 PM BST​

Not long until the formation lap​

Predictions?

Here’s my top six:

1. PIA
2. NOR
3. RUS
4. LEC
5. VER
6. GAS

Everyone in the top 10 starts on soft tyres except Leclerc and Hamilton, both Ferrari drivers.

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03:55 PM BST​

What can Gasly do today?​

Fourth on the grid. Has been a struggle for Alpine this year. No points. I think he’d be happy with anything in the top eight, realistically. Top six even better.

Final instructions for Pierre

After a spectacular qualifying what can Gasly do today starting from P4?#F1#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/r0EnO40wpI

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025

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03:46 PM BST​

What is the optimal strategy today?​

They think a two-stop race with soft, medium, medium or soft, hard, medium being the quickest. Let’s see. It would be good to get some strategic variation today because we have lacked that a little so far this season.

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03:44 PM BST​

George Russell speaks to Martin Brundle​

“It felt a bit hot and stinky out there on the laps to the grid but I think it’s the same for everyone. I think it will be tricky at the start but it will come to us as all when the track temp drops and the grip ramps up.”

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03:42 PM BST​

What are these two chatting about?​

Strategy? I feel that if Piastri gets ahead at turn one then nobody will see him for dust.

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03:39 PM BST​

Martin Brundle’s grid walk has begun​

Nothing too interesting early on. A brief chat with TV chef James Martin. He wanders towards the front trying to find someone to talk to but to little avail so far.

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03:31 PM BST​

Final starting grid​

1. PIA 2. LEC
3. RUS 4. GAS
5. ANT 6. NOR
7. VER 8. SAI
9. HAM 10. TSU
11. DOO 12. HAD
13. ALO 14. OCO
15. ALB 16. HUL
17. LAW 18. BOR
19. STR 20. BEA

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03:28 PM BST​

Jackie Stewart back in his Tyrrell 006​

What a sight! What a car.

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03:20 PM BST​

Current constructor standings​

Can’t see anyone beating McLaren this year. Not only do they have the fastest car, they have two fast drivers. Red Bull have a problematic car and so far only one driver has scored points. Mercedes have a decent all-round car but with one rookie. Ferrari? Well, they just have not managed to get their car into its sweet spot all that often. I think that will come but they are so far adrift already. Still, a long way to go.

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03:15 PM BST​

Average qualifying position​

Five qualifying sessions so far, so this is how each driver stacks up. Piastri is clearly doing the best job, relatively as well as absolutely I’d say. Norris has had a couple of blips in there. Russell is doing a good job too.

Hamilton not so much. Take out his sprint pole and his qualifying results are 8th, 5th, 8th, 9th compared to Leclerc’s 7th, 4th, 6th, 4th, 3rd. Kind of feels like history repeating but we do have to remember this is early days in his Ferrari career and they have introduced upgrades. More fair to judge him after another four races.

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03:09 PM BST​

What can Hamilton do today from ninth?​

How is Lewis feeling as he looks to fight back from P9 on the grid? pic.twitter.com/7eACcwemAf

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 13, 2025

He desperately needs a positive race. What would that be? Moving forwards. Sixth? Hard to say. Let’s see where he ends up compared to Charles Leclerc.

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03:03 PM BST​

F1 raw pace rating​

This shows us how well each team has done in qualifying and how big the gaps are, on average over the season. It does this by working out each team’s fastest lap of a weekend relative to the fastest overall time (100.00 per cent would be the fastest time).

As you can see, Russell’s lap yesterday bumps Mercedes ahead of Red Bull whilst Ferrari improve slightly but are still the fourth fastest team on average. And not that far ahead of Racing Bulls in fifth.

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02:56 PM BST​

Current driver standings​

No doubt that this is an excellent opportunity for Oscar Piastri. Not only does he start five places ahead of team-mate and championship leader Norris but he is six places ahead of Verstappen, in second place in the standings, too.

If everyone was to finish where they started, Piastri would take the championship lead over Norris and then Verstappen behind them. I don’t think that Norris finishing sixth is a very likely scenario, though. Still, if Piastri wins and Norris is third then the gap is down to just three points. A long season, yes, but these races are as important as any.

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02:50 PM BST​

Downbeat Norris​

Not Lando's day pic.twitter.com/k1874kExtT

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 12, 2025

I thought this was a very frank but also worrying exchange. Norris has struggled yes, and it is good to own up to it but I think there are better ways of fronting up to this and not being quite so hard on yourself. Of course, this was literally minutes after he jumped out of the car and time may have dulled the intensity of his emotions but there is a job to do today.

It was similar to what we saw from Hamilton really, with the bottom line being “I’m not good enough”. That is probably an oversimplification of a complex situation, though.

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02:41 PM BST​

Grid penalties for both Mercedes drivers​

Second place and fourth place was Mercedes’ best qualifying session of the year. Yet that was soon tainted by each driver being given a one-place grid penalty for today’s race. Why? Well, both George Russell (below) and Kimi Antonelli left their garages and went to the end of the pit lane before a provisional restart session for qualifying (after the red flag caused by Ocon’s crash) had been confirmed.

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There was a thought that they might get away with a fine but a one-place grid penalty does not seem overly harsh. It drops Russell to third and Antonelli to fifth, which means Leclerc starts on the front row and Gasly starts fourth.

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02:34 PM BST​

Final times after qualifying​

1. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1m 29.841sec
2. George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:30.009
3. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:30.175
4. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:30.213
5. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:30.216
6. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:30.267
7. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:30.423
8. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Williams 1:30.680
9. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 1:30.772
10. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:31.303
11. Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:31.245
12. Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:31.271
13. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:31.886
14. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:31.594
15. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:31.998
16. Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:32.040
17. Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:32.165
18. Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:32.186
19. Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:32.283
20. Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:32.373

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02:23 PM BST​

Good afternoon​

Welcome to our live coverage for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix from the Sakhir International Circuit. It’s the fourth race of the 2025 season and should give us another chance to assess how the pecking order is stacking up. More important, though, is the emerging championship fight when it comes to the drivers.

So far we have had three different drivers (Norris, Piastri, Verstappen) win the three grands prix and a fourth different one (Hamilton) won the sprint race. The broader picture is that McLaren have performed well at every track so far whilst other teams have gone in and out of form at various points.

That was again underlined in qualifying yesterday. Oscar Piastri took pole for McLaren, a team everybody expected to be fastest, yet the margin to second place was not that large. George Russell’s Mercedes was just 0.163sec off Piastri’s time and his second Q3 run meant the Australian had to deliver – and he did. Charles Leclerc was a further tenth and a half back in third for Ferrari. Kimi Antonelli was fourth for Mercedes – his best qualifying in his short F1 career.

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Oscar Piastri took his second pole of the season - Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed

What was expected to be a McLaren front-row lockout did not materialise, however. Norris made a few mistakes in Q3 and ended up in sixth and an enormous 0.426sec down on his McLaren team-mate and behind even the Alpine of Pierre Gasly. He was dejected after the session and has work to do to get on the podium.

There were a couple world champions who had difficult sessions, too. Max Verstappen was down in seventh for Red Bull, nearly six-tenths of a second off Piastri’s pole time. He never looked like hooking a lap up and struggled with his brakes throughout the session.

Lewis Hamilton put in his worst qualifying showing for Ferrari, finishing ninth and nearly a whole second off Piastri as well as half a second down on team-mate Leclerc. Both he and Norris were at a loss to explain their deficits.

The race begins at 4pm BST and we will be here for all of the build-up, live race updates and reaction from Bahrain.

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