As the lights went out at the Bahrain International Circuit, most of the grid opted for soft tyres, except for Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto, who gambled on harder compounds.
Pole-sitter Oscar Piastri held his lead off the start, while Mercedes’ George Russell made a strong getaway to slot into second place. Lando Norris overtook Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to move up to third. However, Norris was soon placed under investigation for a false start and later handed a five-second time penalty.
Hamilton, struggling for grip on his medium tyres, voiced his frustration over team radio early in the race. On Lap 9, the seven-time world champion fought off Carlos Sainz to take eighth place.
As pit stops began around Lap 11, Leclerc—still running on mediums—briefly inherited the lead, followed by teammate Hamilton in second. However, once both Ferrari drivers completed their stops, Piastri resumed the lead with Russell and Norris following closely behind.
A moment of concern came when Haas’ Oliver Bearman exited the pit lane unsafely, while Verstappen complained about braking issues on his Red Bull.
At the race’s midpoint, Hamilton overtook Esteban Ocon for sixth place, while Leclerc passed Norris to move into third.
Safety Car Adds Late-Race Drama
On Lap 30, Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz made contact. A few laps later, debris on the track brought out the safety car, prompting another flurry of pit stops. Once racing resumed, Piastri maintained his lead under pressure. Hamilton briefly passed Norris for fourth, but the McLaren driver retook the position shortly after.
On Lap 42, Liam Lawson collided with Nico Hülkenberg and was penalised five seconds. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz received a 10-second penalty for forcing Kimi Antonelli off track. The contact damaged Sainz’s sidepod and forced his retirement from the race.
A tight battle for the final podium spot saw Norris defend hard from Leclerc and eventually hold on for third place.
Late Incidents and Final Standings
Lawson and Hülkenberg’s earlier clash, along with a DRS infringement by George Russell, were noted by the stewards but required no further action. However, following post-race inspections, Nico Hülkenberg was disqualified due to excessive skid block wear on his Haas.
After 57 laps, it was Oscar Piastri who crossed the line first to take his maiden win of the 2025 Formula 1 season. In a dramatic final lap, George Russell edged out Lando Norris to finish second, with Norris securing the final spot on the podium. Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of Hamilton in fifth and Verstappen in sixth.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon took seventh and eighth respectively, with Tsunoda and Bearman rounding out the top ten.
🏁 2025 Bahrain GP – Final Race Results
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren Racing
- George Russell – Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
- Lando Norris – McLaren Racing
- Charles Leclerc – Scuderia Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton – Scuderia Ferrari
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine F1 Team
- Esteban Ocon – Haas F1 Team
- Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull Racing
- Oliver Bearman – Haas F1 Team
📺 Watch the full race highlights here.
