McLaren’s Oscar Piastri takes pole position; George Russell and Kimi Antonelli hit with one-place grid penalties
For the third time in four grands prix, a McLaren will start in pole position this Formula 1 season.
For the second time this year, it is Oscar Piastri who will be up front when the Bahrain Grand Prix begins on Sunday.
While Piastri and teammate Lando Norris were again strongest throughout the week of practice, it was Piastri who took pole position ahead of George Russell. As for Norris, he slid to sixth when Q3 came to a close and was left searching for answers after a qualifying performance where he was “struggling.”
“[It] felt like I’ve been comfortable all weekend, and there’s no better place to start than on pole. [I] can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given me and I’m excited for the race tomorrow,” said Piastri after qualifying.
While Russell qualified second, he will not start there. Both Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli were hit with one-place grid penalties after qualifying, as Mercedes sent both drivers into the fast lane on pit row after Esteban Ocon’s crash in Q2, a violation of the race director’s notes.
Russell will now start third and Antonelli, who qualified fourth, will drop to fifth.
Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix:
