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Oscar Piastri registered the second win of the season when the checkered flag waved at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir earlier today. He arguably proved unstoppable in his 50th career Grand Prix. Speaking after the race, the Australian driver was thrilled with the result, and while he expressed some concern about the first half of the race, he was overall pleased with his performance this weekend, which started with topping the table at the second practice session on Friday.
The McLaren driver was also at the top of the table at the end of the third FP period, and his qualifying performance put him in pole position for the race. Piastri then led the race from start to finish, with a third-place return after a pit stop on lap 15 that allowed him to easily move to the front of the pack after the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc pitted on lap 18.
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In lap 35, the Aussie driver also controlled the restart after a safety car was brought out due to debris on the field, and five laps later, Piastri was 1.8s ahead of George Russell in second place. Speaking after the race, the race-winner said [via @Junaidsamodien_ on X]:
"It was great (the car). The first stint I could manage reasonably well because I didn't know how the [degradation] would be, but it was good. Very. Very happy with how I did this weekend."
Meanwhile, Piastri's teammate Lando Norris, who started the race in P6, charged to the front of the field early on to take third place. While he faced a five-second penalty for a false start, he was able to take the position back and cross the finish line to secure a podium result.
After the Bahrain GP, Norris remains at the top of the drivers' championship with 77 points, while Piastri, who replaced Max Verstappen in second place, now sits on the table with an accumulated 74 points.
Oscar Piastri proud to win in Bahrain for the team owners
The Australian driver's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix acts as a home race victory, as McLaren Racing, a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, is owned by Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain. Speaking after the race, Oscar Piastri made it a point to mention his feeling of pride regarding winning in the team owner's country, along with a race that had eluded victory for the Woking-based team.
“I’m very proud to do it here in Bahrain as well, it’s obviously a very important race for us given our owners. It’s never been a track that’s been kind to us, so it’s nice to finally have that first win for the team here.” [via F1]
The next race on the F1 calendar will take place next weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, from April 18 to 20.
