Oscar Piastri wins F1 Bahrain Grand Prix for McLaren

The Australian’s win in the second F1 race in the past three rounds catapults him to second in the drivers’ standings.

Oscar Piastri won his second Formula One race of the season, riding the pole position into a victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

With his fourth career victory, Piastri moved into second place in the driver standings, three points behind his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.

“That should be one hell of a party tonight. Mega weekend everyone. That was pretty damn fun,” Piastri said on Sunday after marking his 50th start in perfect style.

Piastri built his lead throughout the race and won by a dominant 15.5 seconds, leaving the jockeying for position to those behind him.

Among those fighting for the podium was George Russell of Mercedes, who rode soft tyres for 24 laps at the end of the race and had to fight issues with his gearbox and DRS system but had enough to fight off Norris for second place by less than a second.

Norris, who started sixth, gained a spot on the podium despite being penalised five seconds for being out of position in his grid box.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively. For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, it was his best finish with Ferrari, which he joined this season.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the four-time defending F1 champion, finished sixth after encountering troubles at both of his pit stops. Pierre Gasly was seventh and scored the first points of the season for Alpine.

For Piastri, the Bahrain Grand Prix marked the 50th race start of his F1 career. He is the first multiple-race winner of the 2025 season after taking the race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on March 23.