Formula 1: Mclaren's Oscar Piastri wins Bahrain Grand Prix; Russell P2, Norris P3

Oscar Piastri took his second win of the 2025 Formula One season with a commanding drive at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as chaos, penalties and dramatic wheel-to-wheel battles dominated the season opener at Sakhir.

Piastri led from lights to flag with a measured and flawless performance for McLaren, finishing ahead of George Russell, who could yet lose second place due to an ongoing investigation into unauthorised DRS usage.

Russell’s transponder issues early in the race reportedly interfered with DRS activation timing, and he was seen deploying DRS outside the permitted zones. If penalised, the Mercedes driver could fall from second to fourth, elevating teammates Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.

Final Classification (Pending Penalty Confirmation)

    1.    Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 25 points
    2.    George Russell (Mercedes) – 18 points
    3.    Lando Norris (McLaren) – 15 points
    4.    Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 12 points
    5.    Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 10 points
    6.    Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 8 points
    7.    Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 6 points
    8.    Esteban Ocon (Alpine) – 4 points
    9.    Yuki Tsunoda (RB) – 2 points
    10.    Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 1 point

Russell ran a bold soft-tyre strategy after a mid-race Safety Car, holding off Norris in the final laps with strong defensive driving. However, McLaren’s double podium could be confirmed if Russell receives the expected five-second time penalty.

“As long as the steering wheel doesn’t come off,” Russell quipped on the radio after being told he may lose some telemetry data mid-race.

Norris, meanwhile, overcame a five-second penalty for a grid infringement to climb from sixth to potentially second, pulling off several clean overtakes, including a critical late-race move on Leclerc.

Piastri was in control from the first corner, calmly pulling away and managing his tyres expertly across various stints. He finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of Russell on track, and well ahead of any mid-pack drama.

Verstappen, by contrast, had a turbulent race, suffering from overheating issues and sluggish pit stops. The reigning champion was forced to scrap for sixth after a final-lap overtake on Gasly, but looked visibly frustrated throughout the 57-lap battle.

“No tyre grip at all,” Verstappen said over the radio mid-race.

A flurry of penalties added to the race-day tension. Liam Lawson received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision, Carlos Sainz was hit with another 10 seconds for forcing Andrea Kimi Antonelli off the track, and Norris received a black-and-white flag for repeated track limits abuse.

Meanwhile, Hamilton recovered to fifth despite voicing frustration with tyre grip and balance on team radio.

While McLaren will celebrate a strong start, all eyes will be on the stewards’ room as they finalise the result. If Russell is demoted, it could have major implications for Mercedes’ strategy going forward.

The next race heads to Saudi Arabia, where Ferrari and Red Bull will be desperate to close the gap to McLaren and where clarity around enforcement of tech regulations like DRS usage will no doubt be in sharp focus.