2025 Bahrain GP: Piastri wins as McLaren dominate again

Oscar Piastri delivered a flawless drive in Bahrain on Sunday, cruising to his second win of the 2025 Formula 1 season and stamping his authority as a top-tier title contender.

After narrowly missing out in Japan, the 23-year-old Aussie bounced back at the Bahrain International Circuit with a wire-to-wire victory. Starting from pole, Piastri never looked threatened, eventually crossing the line 15.5 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.

The McLaren star entered the weekend at +185 with leading sportsbooks and cashed in big for his backers.

Russell put in a strong drive to secure P2, holding off a charging Lando Norris, who overcame a five-second grid penalty and late-race battles to round out the podium.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in what was a stable — if unspectacular — outing for the Prancing Horse.

It was a forgettable weekend for Max Verstappen, who lacked pace and finished sixth after a sluggish opening stint. Alpine finally showed some life with Pierre Gasly scoring his and the team’s first points of the season in P7, while Haas bagged a double-points finish thanks to Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.

2025 Bahrain Grand Prix – Full Race Results

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:35:39.435
2. George Russell (Mercedes) – +15.499s
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +16.273s
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +19.679s
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +27.993s
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – +34.395s
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +36.002s
8. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +44.244s
9. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) – +45.061s
10. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +47.594s
11. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +48.016s
12. Alexander Albon (Williams) – +48.839s
13. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +56.314s
14. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – +57.806s
15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +60.340s
16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +64.435s
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +65.489s
18. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) – +66.872s
19. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – DNF
20. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) – DSQ

Biggest Winners – 2025 Bahrain GP

Oscar Piastri – Another statement drive from the McLaren ace, who’s now just three points off the top of the Drivers’ standings. Backed at +285 pre-race, he’s now joint-favorite at +200 for the world title with Norris at F1 betting apps.

Lando Norris – A tough start to the race with a five-second penalty didn’t derail Norris, who showed elite composure to recover and grab a podium finish. He’s still leading the title race and looking sharp despite minor setbacks.

Pierre Gasly – Alpine finally delivered a car with some pace, and Gasly made the most of it. His seventh-place finish got the team off the mark in 2025 and brought relief to backers who stuck with him on longshot prop bets.

Biggest Blunders – 2025 Bahrain GP

Carlos Sainz – It went from bad to worse for Sainz, who DNF’d after contact with Tsunoda left his Williams with a damaged sidepod. With just one point through three races, the pressure is mounting for the Spaniard.

Kimi Antonelli – The rookie looked out of sorts this Sunday. A poorly timed safety car and traffic locked him out of the points. After early promise, Bahrain was a reality check.

Liam Lawson – Three races, three messy results. This time Lawson was hit with 15 seconds in penalties for multiple incidents. If he doesn’t clean up his racecraft soon, his seat could be in trouble.

2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings (After Bahrain GP)

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 77 pts
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 74 pts
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 69 pts
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 63 pts
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 32 pts
6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 30 pts
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 25 pts
8. Alexander Albon (Williams) – 18 pts
9. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 14 pts
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 10 pts
11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 6 pts
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) – 6 pts
13. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 6 pts
14. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) – 5 pts
15. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 4 pts
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 1 pt
    17–20. Alonso, Lawson, Doohan, Bortoleto – 0 pts