Oscar Piastri achieved a commanding win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading from start to finish. George Russell of Mercedes managed to hold off McLaren`s Lando Norris to secure second place in a thrilling race.
Piastri`s McLaren was dominant, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Russell, even after a safety car period in the middle of the race had reduced his seven-second lead.
Norris, starting from sixth, had a busy race. He overtook Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc late in the race to take the final podium spot. His lead in the championship standings over teammate Piastri is now only three points.
Russell faced an investigation after the race for a possible DRS rules violation, as some technical issues appeared on his car towards the end. However, stewards decided he did not gain any unfair advantage and no penalty was given.
Leclerc, who started second, had a poor start and finished fourth. Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari had a better race, gaining four positions to finish fifth.
World Champion Max Verstappen had a difficult race with slow pit stops for Red Bull. Despite this, he managed to pass Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on the last lap to finish sixth, limiting the points loss to Norris.
Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen`s teammate, scored his first points for the team finishing ninth. He finished between Haas drivers Esteban Ocon in eighth and Oliver Bearman in tenth. Bearman achieved an impressive result, gaining 16 positions.
This victory marks the first win for Bahrain-owned McLaren at their `second home race`. With Norris also finishing on the podium, McLaren has increased their lead over Mercedes in the constructors` championship to 58 points.
Bahrain GP Top 10 Results
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
Piastri`s Flawless Drive Ends McLaren`s Bahrain Wait
Piastri`s performance throughout the weekend was strong, outperforming Norris, especially in qualifying where he secured pole position while Norris started sixth after a mistake on his final lap.
During the race, Piastri maintained his lead from Russell at the start and built a gap. A safety car on lap 32 closed the gap, leading to the second pit stops being earlier than planned.
McLaren had fresh medium tires available, giving Piastri an advantage for the final part of the race, while Russell was on older soft tires.
Piastri managed the restart well and extended his lead, securing his second win of the season and strengthening his position as a championship contender.
Piastri mentioned the importance of the win, especially for McLaren`s owners, at a track that has not traditionally been favorable for them.
Norris Reflects on `Messy Race` and Missed Opportunity
Norris aimed for a McLaren 1-2 after his qualifying result. He initially gained three positions at the start, but received a five-second penalty for starting out of position.
The penalty affected his race strategy and he couldn`t overtake Russell in the first stint. He later lost a position to Leclerc and briefly to Hamilton after the safety car restart due to an off-track overtake.
Despite overtaking Leclerc later in the race, a mistake on the final lap while trying to pass Russell for second meant Norris missed the chance for a McLaren one-two finish.
Norris described his race as `messy` with too many errors, and expressed disappointment in not achieving a one-two result for McLaren.
