Update
Verstappen cut off
McLarens Piatri triumphs with start-finish victory
04/13/2025, 6:45 p.m.
What a sovereign appearance by Oscar Piatri: The Australian makes its demands on the World Cup title clear. He drives away from the start without errors – and as the winner to the finish. World champion Max Verstappen has to behind, struggling with it.
Oscar Piatri won the Bahrain Grand Prix and achieved his second Grand Prix success this year. The Australian triumphed in the Sakhir floodlight race after an error-free performance and made it clear in the fight for Formula 1 World Cup. Mercedes pilot George Russell, Lando Norris in the second McLaren took second place. It is the third victory in the fourth race this year for the world champion.
“I am very happy with this result, it was an incredible weekend,” said Piatri: “We have completed the job with style. I am very proud.”
World champion Max Verstappen meanwhile experienced a difficult race. For the Dutch, it was only sixth. After his victory in Japan, he found himself in reality again, his RB21 is too slow compared to the competition. Piatri and Co. Piatris garage neighbor Norris overtaken Charles Leclerc in the final phase, which was fourth in Ferrari. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton took fifth place.
Norris is disappointed
“It was a hard and chaotic race, I made too many mistakes,” said Norris: “It is a little disappointing not to win the double victory here.” Team boss Andrea Stella also criticized some criticism. Norris drove “a little unclean”, “otherwise we could have won the first two places.” Nevertheless, he is “very happy” overall.
The Emmerich Nico Hülkenberg remained without points as with his debut in the premier class 15 years ago on Sunday. In 2010 he drove his first race in Formula 1 at Williams and became 14th on another route configuration. In the meantime, the 37-year-old drives clean and landed again in 14th place.
Piatri fulfills its expectations
“I expect myself to win,” said Piatri in advance at Sky. At the start he started well, Leclerc immediately lost his position to Russell. Behind it, Norris put on a rocket start and immediately put pressure on the silver arrow in front of him. But the 25-year-old had made a beginner mistake shortly before driving. “Lando is not really in his start box,” Verstappen missed his World Cup competitor at the radio. He then got a 5-second penalty, she sat off at the first stop. His teammate meanwhile pulled away from the rest of the field, in Verstappen after starting seventh place in traffic.
Soon, tire -eating asphalt became noticeable – the route covering in Bahrain is older than 18 -year -old Kimi Antonelli. Norris and Verstappen made Piatri in the eleventh round shortly afterwards. When the field sorted again, he was still in front of Russell. Verstappen, on the other hand, fell back and complained about his car: “Everything is overheating”. And Norris also had difficulty, had to hand in third place to Leclerc on fresher tires.
After a little more than half of the race there was something like equal opportunities. The Safety Car came on the track and broke up the field – Sainz had lost parts of his underbody. The top four came to the box apart from Russell. At the restart, Norris in particular came under pressure through Hamilton, not much went forward. Piatri built up a cushion again. In the final phase, the right tire management was particularly important.
