Bahrain Grand Prix Race Report

Piastri Shines in Bahrain. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed a dominant win under the lights, turning Bahrain’s action-packed night race into a statement drive.

By: Mark Gero, motorsports journalist of two decades

In contrast to the uneventful race a week earlier at the Suzuka International Circuit in Japan—where the action left both drivers and fans underwhelmed—the following weekend in Bahrain was the complete opposite.

Racing was nothing but one overtake after another and the racing was well worth the effort to watch. But considering all this excitement, one driver, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had no trouble dominating most of the race from the start, and considering the Australian had lost the lead due to a pit stop, he recovered well enough to take the victory by over 15 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and teammate Lando Norris.

Mclaren Takes Friday Practice as Alonso Loses Steering Wheel

The weekend kicked off with a sweltering morning practice session. Norris set the fastest lap early on, followed by a surprise performance from Alpine—who had yet to score a point this season—with Pierre Gasly slotting into second. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three.

Once night fell and temperatures dropped, Piastri took over. But the session’s most unusual moment came courtesy of Fernando Alonso. Midway through the session, the two-time world champion suffered a bizarre issue—his steering wheel completely shut down. Frustrated, Alonso removed the wheel, which caused his Aston Martin to veer off track. Realizing the mistake, he quickly reattached it and returned to the garage. His mechanics managed to get him back out with 30 minutes remaining, but it wasn’t a great night for the Spaniard, who finished only 15th.

Piastri Takes Pole as Norris Falters

In the dying moments of qualifying, Piastri clinched pole position. For a moment, it seemed like George Russell or Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc might snatch it, but Piastri pulled through. McLaren, however, missed out on locking out the front row. Norris struggled throughout qualifying and ended up sixth, later calling the session “just not quick enough.”

The evening was relatively uneventful, with only one notable incident: Haas F1’s Esteban Ocon lost control at Turn 2 during Q2, slamming into the barriers and bringing out a brief red flag. His car suffered heavy rear damage, but the session soon resumed.

Plenty of Racing, But Piastri Unchallenged

Fans who feared a repeat of Japan’s dull affair were quickly reassured. The Bahrain Grand Prix delivered action from the start, with the field jostling for position and Piastri seizing the lead immediately. Norris had a clean getaway but stopped just past his grid box, then jumped the start—earning a five-second penalty served during his first pit stop.

Despite the setback, Norris clawed his way back to third and chased Russell for second. He applied pressure, especially after learning Russell’s drag reduction system was malfunctioning, providing no data on his steering wheel. Unlike Alonso’s steering issue, Russell’s didn’t worsen, and he managed to defend his position to secure second place. Norris settled for third.

Ferrari was never truly in contention, with Leclerc and Hamilton finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen—hampered by grip issues—found some late-race form, passing Gasly for sixth on the final lap.

Haas F1 salvaged a strong result with good strategy, putting Ocon in eighth and rookie Oliver Bearman in tenth. The second Red Bull, driven by Yuki Tsunoda, took ninth despite an earlier collision with Williams’ Carlos Sainz, which forced the former Ferrari driver to retire on lap 47.

Ultimately, Piastri cruised to the checkered flag with little resistance, delivering a commanding win and impressing McLaren’s leadership at their home race.

Another Night Race in The Desert to Complete

With the Bahrain race in the books, the formula 1 grid now heads across the border to Saudi Arabia, to the capital of Jeddah, where a fast street track that will test the drivers with low downforce and excessive speeds to complete a period of three grands prix in a row.