The qualifying session for the 2025 Bahrain GP finally ended, and Oscar Piastri came out as the pole sitter on Saturday. The McLaren driver claimed the pole position for the second time this season after converting it in China. George Russell of Mercedes will start in the front row alongside him on Sunday.
Piastri pulled off a stunning lap to post 1:29.841 on the timesheet to go fastest in Q3. He was over a tenth faster than Russell (+0.168) and over four-tenths faster than his teammate Lando Norris. Thanks to the pole, Piastri can now go for the win and take a shot at the drivers' championship this season.
Charles Leclerc managed P3 to become the better Ferrari driver on Saturday, as he will start beside Kimi Antonelli from the second row. Pierre Gasly was the surprising addition as the Alpine driver pulled off a brilliant final flying lap to see himself ahead of Lando Norris at the Bahrain GP.
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Norris, one of the championship protagonists this season, failed to make use of Max Verstappen's struggle in Bahrain and qualified in P6. Verstappen, who seemed to have struggled throughout the week, only managed P7, ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton had a poor final flying lap and had to stay content with P9 at the Bahrain GP. Yuki Tsunoda qualified in P10 to wrap up the first 10 places. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson once again failed to move past Q1 and qualified in P17.
Notably, Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli received a one-place grid penalty each for breaching the F1 rule on Saturday. As per reports, Mercedes sent both drivers to the fast lane before the session's restart time after a red flag.
Here is the list of how drivers line up for Sunday's Bahrain GP race:
- #1 Oscar Piastri - McLaren
- #2 Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
- #3 George Russell - Mercedes
- #4 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
- #5 Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
- #6 Lando Norris - McLaren
- #7 Max Verstappen - Red Bull
- #8 Carlos Sainz - Williams
- #9 Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
- #10 Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
- #11 Jack Doohan - Alpine
- #12 Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
- #13 Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
- #14 Esteban Ocon - Haas
- #15 Alex Albon - Williams
- #16 Nico Hulkenberg - Kick Sauber
- #17 Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
- #18 Gabriel Bortoleto - Kick Sauber
- #19 Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
- #20 Oliver Bearman - Haas
Oscar Piastri pumped up ahead of the Bahrain GP on Sunday
Following the conclusion of the Bahrain GP qualifying, Oscar Piastri shared his thoughts and stated that he felt confident throughout the weekend. Well, his records do the talking as he took P1 in multiple sessions in Bahrain, such as the FP2, FP3, Q2, and Q3.
After the qualifying session, Piastri said via Formula1.com:
"I felt confident out there all weekend. FP3 we had good pace, and Qualifying - the others caught up a little closer than I wanted, but I delivered the laps when it mattered so very, very happy."
"I have to get to Turn 1 in first so let's see what happens but I've felt comfortable all weekend. I can't thank the team enough for the car they have given me."
Currently, Oscar Piastri is trailing Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the F1 world championship. He has 49 points compared to Norris' 62 and Verstappen's 61. A win on Sunday, and some lowly performances by Norris and Verstappen could bring the #4 driver on top by the end of the Bahrain GP.
