[Piastri Takes Spectacular Pole Position at Bahrain Grand Prix]

Oscar Piastri has secured a sensational pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, outpacing George Russell and Lando Norris who ended up sixth and seventh respectively. The young Australian driver demonstrated his prowess on the rapidly improving Sakhir track during the decisive run.

[Red Bull’s Qualifying Woes]

Red Bull faced pressure from the outset of qualifying as Max Verstappen and teammate Yuki Tsunoda both encountered issues. Verstappen reported a car malfunction, yet managed to advance to Q2, while Tsunoda was eliminated in the first round.

Surprisingly, Alex Albon missed Q1 for the first time this season, finishing 16th in the Williams, as did Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson who suffered a DRS issue. They were joined by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, and Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who lost a chance at Q2 due to a poor second sector and front tire locking problems.

[Red Flag Incident in Q2]

The second qualifying phase was red-flagged following an accident by Haas driver Esteban Ocon exiting Turn 2. After recovering from the crash, the session resumed after an eight-minute delay.

McLaren seized the opportunity to set their fastest times, with Piastri leading Norris by a tenth. Alpine once again proved impressive, with Pierre Gasly taking third ahead of both Mercedes cars. His teammate Doohan looked poised for Q3 but a weaker final sector left him in 11th.

[Tight Battle in Q3]

The top three drivers – Piastri, Russell, and Norris – were separated by just a second in the final qualifying round, with Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton close behind.

Verstappen struggled in Q3 due to reported brake issues, while Piastri clinched his second career pole position. Leclerc managed to split the Mercedes cars in third, with Antonelli securing his best F1 qualifying result in fourth. Gasly delighted Alpine with fifth on the grid, qualifying just 0.003s behind Antonelli and ahead of a disappointed Norris and Verstappen.

Carlos Sainz was eighth for Williams, with Hamilton failing to qualify higher than ninth after also seeing his first lap deleted for track limits. Tsunoda rounded out the top 10 due to not managing to put together a clean lap in Q3, but his Q3 berth indicates some progress on his side of the Red Bull garage.