A thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix saw records tumble, streaks end, and Oscar Piastri deliver one of his finest drives yet.
As always after a Grand Prix weekend, it’s time to dive into the standout stats, record-breaking moments, and streaks that continued—or came to a sudden stop—under the lights of Bahrain.
Qualifying Highlights
Oscar Piastri claimed his second pole position of the season—his first came in China—but this one was historic. No McLaren had ever started from pole in Bahrain, despite 21 previous attempts since 2004. The Aussie is now also the only driver with two poles in 2025.
He topped Q3 by 0.168 seconds ahead of George Russell, the biggest gap between P1 and P2 in qualifying this year. However, Russell was handed a grid penalty for a pit lane violation in Q2, bumping Charles Leclerc up to P2—Ferrari’s best qualifying of the season.
Pierre Gasly pulled off a surprise by qualifying fourth. After starting dead last in Bahrain the previous two years, this marks Alpine’s best start since Fernando Alonso’s 2006 win. Fittingly, it came on Flavio Briatore’s 75th birthday, now a senior advisor at the team.
Rising star Kimi Antonelli continued his steady improvement, qualifying 5th despite a Q2 penalty. His previous results: 16th, 8th, and 6th.
Championship leader Lando Norris had a tricky session and could only manage 6th—still his best-ever Bahrain start.
Max Verstappen struggled with brake issues and lined up 7th. It’s his lowest starting spot at Sakhir since 2018.
Carlos Sainz put Williams in P8, their first Bahrain top 10 since 2017. He was also celebrating his father’s 63rd birthday.
Lewis Hamilton matched his 9th place from last year in what’s been a difficult start to life at Ferrari.
Yuki Tsunoda grabbed 10th, making his first Q3 appearance in Bahrain and marking the first time both Red Bulls made Q3 this season.
Just outside the top 10, Jack Doohan set a personal best in 11th. Fernando Alonso had his worst Bahrain qualifying since 2017, starting 14th.
Esteban Ocon edged teammate Oliver Bearman for the third time in four races, despite a crash in Q2.
Alex Albon (15th) saw his Q3 streak snapped. Liam Lawson (17th) suffered his third Q1 exit in four races due to DRS issues, while Gabriel Bortoleto (18th) and Lance Stroll (19th) both had back-to-back early exits.
Race Recap
Oscar Piastri delivered McLaren’s first-ever win in Bahrain—on the same track where he made his F1 debut in 2023. The team, once saved by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund during COVID, returned the favor in style.
Piastri completed the coveted “hat trick”: pole, fastest lap, and race win. He’s just the 49th driver in F1 history to do it, and he achieved it in his 50th Grand Prix.
It was also his 30th straight points finish—the longest active streak—and his second win of the year, putting him ahead of everyone in 2025. He now ties Bruce McLaren with four career wins.
Every Grand Prix this year has been won from pole. Piastri did it with dominance, finishing 15.499 seconds ahead—despite a safety car, the biggest margin so far this season.
George Russell took second, matching his career-best Bahrain finish and scoring his best result of the year. He’s now finished in the points for 14 straight races.
Lando Norris completed the podium, making it a Mercedes-powered top three—just like in Shanghai. He jumped three spots on Lap 1, something he hadn’t done since Baku 2024.
Leclerc led a race for the first time since Austin 2024 but finished 4th again, just like last time.
Hamilton (5th) had his best result yet with Ferrari. Verstappen (6th) had his worst of the season, compounded by two slow pit stops.
Pierre Gasly (7th) scored Alpine’s first points of the season, lifting the team off the bottom of the constructors’ standings.
Yuki Tsunoda (9th) earned his best result of the year and brought home the first points for Red Bull’s second car since Vegas 2024.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman turned a last-row start into a 10th-place finish, making it three points finishes in a row.
Antonelli (11th) missed out on points for the first time in his F1 career. Albon (12th) also fell outside the top 10 for the first time in 2025.
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, failed to finish for the second race in a row—no checkered flags in sight.
| Category | Record / Statistic |
|---|---|
| Race Win | McLaren’s first-ever victory in Bahrain |
| Hat-Trick | Piastri: pole, win, fastest lap (first hat-trick of his career, on his 50th GP) |
| Pole Position | Piastri’s 2nd pole of 2025 (McLaren’s first-ever pole in Bahrain) |
| Biggest Win Margin | 15.499s between Piastri and Russell – largest of the season |
| Points Streak | Piastri: 30th consecutive race in the points (longest active streak) |
| Alpine Qualifying Record | Gasly qualified P4 – best Alpine grid spot since 2006 |
| Pole-to-Win Streak | Every 2025 GP so far won from pole position |
| Mercedes Power Sweep | All podium cars powered by Mercedes (Piastri, Russell, Norris) |
| Streak Broken | Albon missed Q3 for the first time in 2025 |
| Verstappen’s Quali Low | P7 – his worst Bahrain grid spot since 2018 |
| Slowest Pit Stops | Verstappen had his slowest two stops of the season |
| Ferrari’s Best Quali | Leclerc started P2 – Ferrari’s top result of the year so far |
| First Points for Alpine | Gasly finished 7th – Alpine’s first points in 2025 |
| DNF Streak | Carlos Sainz: only driver with two straight race retirements |
- Discover More>Lawson racks up 5 penalty points after Bahrain chaos
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Post-Bahrain Grand Prix 2025: Key Stats and Records Post-Bahrain Grand Prix 2025: Key Stats and Records
