Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 Qualifying results: Oscar Piastri takes pole position, George Russell secures second, Charles Leclerc lines up third

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Apr 12, 2025, 23:41 IST

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Oscar Piastri secured pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying, followed by George Russell and Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton, a five-time Bahrain winner, finished ninth after a lap deletion. Esteban Ocon's crash caused a red flag, but he was unharmed. The race promises unpredictability with Piastri aiming for another win and Verstappen starting from seventh.

Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 Qualifying results: Oscar Piastri takes pole position, George Russell secures second, Charles Leclerc lines up third

Image credit: Formula 1

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri clinched pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session on Saturday. Mercedes’ George Russell delivered a strong performance to secure second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued to impress, taking an impressive fourth spot on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton loses his edge in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton, who holds the record for the most wins in Bahrain—five in total—ended up in ninth position, as one of his laps was deleted for exceeding track limits. The other McLaren driver, Australian Grand Prix winner Lando Norris, ended up in sixth. Pierre Gasly of Alpine was fifth, but his teammate Jack Doohan couldn’t qualify for Q3, finishing in 11th position.

Max Verstappen, who recently won the Japanese Grand Prix in his troubled Red Bull, came seventh in Qualifying. He was followed by Carlos Sainz of Ferrari in eighth. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda got a much-needed breather in 10th position, competing in his second Grand Prix as a Red Bull driver.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, as well as Lance Stroll, couldn’t qualify for the final part of qualifying. Williams’ Alex Albon also didn’t make it through. According to Formula 1, the Mercedes drivers may be investigated for rule breaches during qualifying.

Esteban Ocon suffers crash

Haas driver Esteban Ocon brought out the red flags after suffering a serious crash in the second part of qualifying. He lost control of his car while taking a lap in Q2, spinning to the outside of the circuit and hitting the barrier. Fortunately, he escaped unharmed, but the session was red-flagged as his damaged car was removed from the track.
Also Read: Bahrain Grand Prix: Five interesting facts about the tournament and the circuit

Bahrain Grand Prix final

The Sunday race will now be even more unpredictable, as the reigning Bahrain champion Hamilton will be starting much further back on the grid. Max Verstappen will also have to push harder from his current position. What seems predictable is Oscar Piastri potentially clinching his second win of the season, after winning his first in Shanghai.
The Sunday race will start at 6 p.m. (local time) under the floodlights.

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TOI Sports Desk

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