In Pictures: Bahrain 2025

It’s just over eight thousand kilometres as the crow flies between the scenes of the third and fourth rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season. From Japan and the historic Suzuka Circuit, framed by cherry blossoms, the sport now sets up shop in the semi-desert archipelago of Bahrain, nestled in the Persian Gulf. The contrast is striking—especially when it comes to temperature. Formula 1 has gone from chilly, rain-soaked mornings in Japan with highs barely reaching 20°C, to sun-drenched Bahraini afternoons pushing past 35°C.

The Sakhir circuit offers multiple configurations, two of which were used in 2010 and 2020. The current layout measures 5.412 kilometres and features 15 corners—nine to the right and six to the left. It’s one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar for tyres, particularly under heavy braking and during traction zones. The asphalt at the Bahrain International Circuit remains highly abrasive, even though the surface has aged over the years.

FUN FACT: The asphalt here is older than either Ollie Bearman or Kimi Antonelli.

FRIDAY

Four of the ten teams—Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Haas—brought upgrades to Bahrain in an effort to close the gap.

Seven teams sent both their drivers out on one of their available sets of Hard tires, with the exceptions being Red Bull, Williams, and Haas. The breakdown of laps per compound was as follows: 184 laps (19.41%) on the C1(soft), 355 laps (37.45%) on the C2 (medium), and 409 laps (43.14%) on the C3 (hard).

Once practice was done and dusted, it was the Zak Brown- and Andrea Stella-led McLaren team that topped the timesheets at the end of Friday running. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were clearly quickest in FP2—the most representative session of the day, as it took place in conditions similar to those expected for qualifying and the race. Norris had also gone fastest in FP1 with a lap of 1:33.204. In the second session, the papaya pair were the only drivers to dip below the 1:31 mark, with Piastri clocking a 1:30.505 and Norris a 1:30.659.

SATURDAY

During Free Practice 3, five more drivers ran a set of Hards, leaving Verstappen as the only one not to have tried the C1 compound all weekend. In qualifying, every driver opted for the C3, which—given the track surface and conditions—delivered peak performance on the first flying lap, with no chance of improvement on a second attempt.

In qualifying, Oscar Piastri claimed the second pole position of his career—and his second in a row, having topped the charts at Suzuka just a week earlier. The Australian was the only driver to dip below the 1:30 mark, setting a 1:29.841. Still, that was more than half a second off last year’s pole time—0.662 seconds slower, to be exact—highlighting just how much this weekend’s higher temperatures, compared to 2024, have impacted overall performance.

Due to one-place grid penalties for both Mercedes drivers, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start alongside Piastri on the front row, having qualified third with a time of 1:30.175. George Russell (1:30.009) now drops to the second row, where he’ll line up alongside Pierre Gasly (1:30.216) in the Alpine. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1:30.213) starts fifth.

A couple of hours later, it was announced that both Mercedes drivers had received a one-place grid penalty for being released from the garage too early during Q2, following a red flag.

SUNDAY

Oscar Piastri won the Bahrain Grand Prix, delivering McLaren its first victory in what could be considered a second home race for the team. For the Australian, it marked his fourth Formula 1 win—matching the career total of Bruce McLaren, the New Zealander who founded the team in 1966. Piastri can also celebrate his first career hat trick (pole position, race win, and fastest lap), achieved on the day of his 50th Grand Prix start.

Joining him on the podium were his team principal, Andrea Stella, and George Russell, who finished second for Mercedes, 15.499 seconds behind. Russell edged out Lando Norris in the other McLaren by just 0.774 seconds, with Norris rounding out the podium in third.

Lewis Hamilton was voted Driver of the Day by F1.com fans.

““I’m very proud of what I’ve done this weekend and proud to do it here in Bahrain as well. It’s obviously a very important race for us, given our ownership. It’s never been a track that’s been kind to us, so it’s great to finally get the first win for the team in Bahrain.” ”

— Oscar Piastri | McLaren | P1