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After his stunning victory at last Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen appeared quite relaxed in the post-race interview, even going as far as making a comment that quickly went viral:
"I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I had been in that other car. In that case, they wouldn’t have seen me at all".
The car Verstappen was referring to was clearly the McLaren, and his comment can be interpreted as a psychological game aimed at Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
"I wasn’t joking. Did you think I was joking? I’m asking you. No, it’s not a joke. We know how tough it is and how narrow the window for our car's performance is. I was asked: what would you have done in another car? Well, I gave an honest answer. In the same interview, I also said that this won’t happen anyway, so I don’t see the need to speculate on it. I’m just working with the team to try to improve my car, to make it more enjoyable to drive and more competitive, so we can have a bit more fun".
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen’s friendly rival, responded sharply to Verstappen's comments, seemingly irked by the Dutch driver's remarks. Speaking to journalists in Sakhir, the English driver invited his friend-rival to try his McLaren.
"I don’t care, everyone can say and believe whatever they want. I think Oscar and I are both good drivers. Maybe he’s better at some things, but not in everything. I have a lot of respect for Max, but I also know that some of the things he says aren’t true. He can come try our car every day if he wants, and I’ll be happy to see the disappointment on his face when he gets out".
Moreover, Lando Norris dismissed the criticisms directed at McLaren's strategic choices during the Japanese Grand Prix. The British driver, who still leads the Drivers' Championship by one point over his friendly rival Max Verstappen, admitted that by the end of the Japanese GP, he felt he could have tried something different to pass Red Bull Racing’s World Champion. However, he also acknowledged that it was right not to take risks that could have compromised the team’s result.
"When I got out of the car and looked at things, I wasn’t very happy with how they looked, nor with how our approach to the whole situation seemed. But nothing guaranteed that I would have passed Max, we weren’t sure the undercut would be strong enough. I would have always come out in traffic, so as much as people want to talk and say we did a terrible job, I disagree and remain loyal to our decisions as a team. And I have a lot of trust".
It’s not certain that McLaren hasn’t learned something from this experience, and may opt for riskier decisions in the future:
"I would be willing to take the risk of staying behind more cars to aim for the win, yes. But we still finished second and third, we scored more points than anyone else in the Constructors' Championship, and I got a good result as a driver. However, I lost to Max, who is my main rival…".
Finally, Lando Norris, not without some concern, looked ahead to the Bahrain Grand Prix, the same track where less than two months earlier, during testing, McLaren had presented itself to the world as a major contender for both World titles:
"We had a great start to the season, but this is a circuit with corners that require much lower speeds than those we’ve had in the past few weekends. And we know this is one of our weaker areas. But we’re still leading the championship. Could things have gone a bit better? Yes, but Verstappen and Red Bull did a great job with a car they said they were struggling with. But we also know we had issues. Our car is fast, but we’ve also made mistakes. The season is long, we can’t get ahead of ourselves. I lost some points in the Sprint in China and we need to do better because Max is very close, and I’m sure he’ll stay close for a long time".
Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, wasn’t offended by Max Verstappen’s words after the Japanese Grand Prix.
"I think it was just a joke, and if Max had qualified third and we were in first and second, the race would have been quite different. I think it was just a lighthearted comment from him. Qualifying made the difference, and I don’t think it’s normal to have two cars trailing by less than two seconds behind the leader for 50 laps, so it was pretty clear our car was faster. So, I think the gaps would have been very different with reversed starting positions".
While Max Verstappen seems to want a McLaren, Oscar Piastri admits he wouldn’t trade:
"Would I be at the same level driving the Red Bull? I don’t know, and I’m not planning to find out anytime soon. Clearly, their car seems very difficult to drive, as we saw last year with Perez and now with Yuki. Joining a team that’s so focused on Max’s driving style for nearly a decade or more, I think it wouldn’t be that easy. But I’m quite happy driving the McLaren, not the Red Bull, for now".
Oscar Piastri also gave a deeper analysis of what happened during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend:
"To overtake on Sunday, a significant pace advantage was needed. The best way to beat Verstappen would have been to qualify a bit better, but even in the race, we were limited in the options we could take. There were definitely things we could have done differently (strategy-wise, editor’s note), and as a team, we’ve acknowledged that. But, putting things in perspective, we’re still at the start of the season, and it was important not to hand points to those behind us".
For Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen’s win in Suzuka doesn’t change his future strategies:
"At the moment, we have the fastest car, even though our advantage isn’t enough to be reckless, to relax, and not execute things in the best way possible, because we saw in the first three races that it only takes a few things to go wrong to not be at the front. We certainly have an advantage in the race, but in qualifying, we need to be on top of our game because the margin isn’t that big yet, and in Japan, a great performance from Max was enough to beat us. This is another reminder that it will be a tight battle all year, and we’ll need to be in the best shape to win the title".
On the sidelines of the Japanese Grand Prix, images comparing McLaren’s rear wing with Red Bull Racing’s went viral. The video shows how McLaren’s wing is much more flexible than Red Bull’s, and observant viewers noticed that Jos Verstappen shared these images with his followers. A move that speaks volumes without needing words. Although it is clear that the rear wing on the MCL39 flexes significantly at high speeds, Max Verstappen played down the controversy:
"I saw the videos, but I’m not the one making the rules. I’m not the one monitoring if they are being followed either. I see the same things that everyone else can see. I know what’s happening, but I’m focused on our car. I can only do that. I guess it’s allowed, right? Everyone tries to push the limits of the regulations. It’s up to the FIA to monitor that the rules are followed by everyone. I’m not disappointed that we don’t have a wing like that. It could be that some teams interpret the rules differently, but I can’t speak on that".
After a disappointing home debut with Red Bull Racing in Suzuka, where he finished outside the top ten, Yuki Tsunoda now faces the challenge of testing himself in Bahrain. On the track where he made his debut in the Circus in 2021, finishing in a fantastic ninth place, the Japanese driver will need to fine-tune his adaptation to the much-feared RB21. The fact that he’s away from Japan and no longer under constant scrutiny might actually work in his favor:
"Compared to last Thursday, at the same time, I’m much calmer. Naturally, with fewer sponsor and fan activities, I’ve had the opportunity to spend a bit more time thinking about preparation and everything else. Also, now I know how the car behaves, at least a bit more than I did when I started last week. So yes, everything’s looking positive. I’ve also made a couple of adjustments to better set up the seat".
At the setup level, Tsunoda is gradually refining his requests:
"Maybe I need to adopt a slightly different approach. When it comes to car balance and setup, what I had with Racing Bulls I liked. I think with this car, it’s possible to achieve the same balance I had there, but that doesn’t always help performance. So, I need to look into this more. I still don’t know what setup will make the car faster".
Meanwhile, rumors of a troubled relationship between Charles Leclerc and Scuderia Ferrari may not be true, as the Monegasque driver himself swore during interviews before the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, it’s undeniable that there is a sense of disappointment in the garage over the start to the season, which was supposed to be much better but hasn’t been so far. This disappointment is understandable, considering the high expectations that were built up during the winter, and it’s something the Monegasque driver doesn’t hide.
"There has been a relative step backward. I’m mainly referring to the expectations you have when you finish the year the way we did last year. We were in a good place as a team, and we knew we had a good car, so it was inevitable that the expectations about the goal we were aiming for, at least as a team, were to start from there (from second place in the Constructors’ Championship, editor’s note) and try to improve. So that’s why we’re a bit disappointed to see that we’ve taken a step back at the beginning of the new season. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes, obviously, but I think the last weekend pretty clearly represented where we stand as a team, where we are compared to the others. This weekend we have some new parts, which we hope will help us close the gap a bit".
The reference to the updates on the floor represents the first upgrade that the engineers at the Maranello team had already planned to bring to the Bahrain Grand Prix even before the winter tests. This shouldn’t theoretically be a direct response to the difficulties experienced in the first three Grand Prix of the season, but it could still help. The Monegasque Ferrari driver finally also spoke about his expectations for this Bahrain Grand Prix. In response to whether the expected hot weather for the race could be an ally for the SF-25, the Monegasque driver said:
"I don’t think there are clear indications that the heat will help. I think it’s more of an unknown for everyone (the first three races were unusually cold, editor’s note). In the past, at least, we were a bit stronger when it was hot, so that could be a clue. I hope so, because obviously, the first part of the season has been worse than expected, and we really hope we can get back to fighting at the front with the McLarens. So, I hope the hot weather helps us".
After the difficulties faced in the start of this season and the discussions that accompanied Scuderia Ferrari’s arrival in Bahrain - such as the internal debate about whether or not to bring the updates to the SF-25 already at Sakhir, as eventually happened - it’s normal that the media’s eyes are on what’s happening inside the Maranello team. After the great media buzz in the winter, with the arrival of the seven-time World Champion alongside Charles Leclerc, expectations were very high, and so far, they’ve been disappointed. The only true moment of joy in these first races of 2025 comes from Lewis Hamilton’s performance in the Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix. The British driver dominated that race, once again showing his great talent. However, perhaps that result made some people think the British driver could magically turn Ferrari’s season around on his own. It’s not the case, and the word "magically" is not used by chance.
"What would you say to our viewers who expect something magical from you? What would you tell them?"
The British driver for Scuderia Ferrari, however, tried to downplay the expectations, inviting all the team’s fans not to expect miracles:
"Don’t do it. It’s simple. Don’t expect anything, just watch and enjoy. We’re working as hard as possible, so I can’t say anything else. I have nothing more to add".
Since the beginning of this World Championship, George Russell has repeatedly stated that McLaren is destined to dominate. The British driver, after the Australian Grand Prix, predicted the possibility of the English team fighting for victory in every Grand Prix. However, the Japanese Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen as the winner, but according to the Mercedes driver, it is in Bahrain that we’ll see the real potential of the MCL39.
"Honestly, I thought they would be further ahead. I was quite surprised at how close we’ve been to McLaren in these races. But I expect that this weekend will be the one where we’ll probably see McLaren’s true performance".
In Bahrain, however, the heat will be an important ally for the British cars, just as the cold has been a help so far for Mercedes:
"I think they’ll excel in hot circuits where there’s a lot of tire degradation. We’ve already seen that at Zandvoort last year, we saw it in Singapore, and we had a taste of it in the winter tests, where, in race pace, they were almost a second faster than everyone. I really hope I’m wrong, but I think what we’ve seen so far has probably been the worst-case scenario for them".
On Friday, April 11, 2025, just days after racing in cool conditions at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit, the teams and drivers return to action amid hot and sunny weather at Sakhir for Friday’s Free Practice 1. Several of the current grid, however, are not getting behind the wheel, having instead handed their cars over to a young driver as part of the rule stipulating that teams must run rookies in four FP1 sessions during the season. Ayumu Iwasa, Dino Beganovic, Frederic Vesti, Felipe Drugovich, Ryo Hirakawa, and Luke Browning are set to turn out for Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Haas, and Williams respectively, taking the place of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman, and Carlos Sainz. The new faces seem keen to get going, with Iwasa leading the pack out from Browning and Hirakawa when the green light appears at 2:30 p.m. local time. There is early trouble, meanwhile, for the more familiar name of Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver reporting no power before slowly returning to the pits less than 10 minutes into the session. While Antonelli’s car is worked on in the Silver Arrows’ garage - the issue seemingly being due to a loss of water pressure - other drivers struggle to find grip out on track, with Liam Lawson stating that the balance on his Racing Bulls machine is shocking.
By the halfway point of the session - after most of the pack has put a time on the board with the medium or hard tyres - Alex Albon leads the way for Williams on a lap of 1'35"180, putting him six-hundredths clear of Norris in the McLaren, with Gasly slotting into third for Alpine. Attention then starts to shift to the soft tyre runs, and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto quickly goes fastest by half a second after being one of the first to bolt on the compound, before promptly being displaced by teammate Nico Hulkenberg. As Antonelli’s problems persist in the Mercedes garage - with the mechanics seen pulling on the rear wing in their efforts to sort the issue - Albon is released into the path of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in the pit lane, prompting the Thai driver to apologize over the radio. The incident will be investigated after the session. The stewards will also look at a possible impeding incident that occurs between the two Williams drivers, with Browning having to take avoiding action after encountering a slow-moving Albon on track. As more soft-shod laps come in and the times continue to tumble, it is Norris who goes fastest with his effort of 1'33"204, two-tenths faster than Gasly in second, while Hamilton slots into third for Ferrari after completing his soft run later in the session. Albon - who reports a loss of power in the closing stages - holds onto fourth, ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon in fifth and Hulkenberg in sixth. Jack Doohan is seventh for Alpine, with Lawson, Tsunoda, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completing the top 10. Bortoleto ends the hour in 11th, followed by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Browning, and Beganovic. The Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Drugovich take 15th and 16th respectively, with Hirakawa, Vesti, Iwasa, and Antonelli - who misses most of the session due to those aforementioned car issues - rounding out the order. A few hours later, the drivers quickly head out on track and get a feel for grip levels when the green light switches on at the end of the pit lane, bringing a mixture of run plans with Pirelli’s Soft, medium, and Hard compound tyres through the early stages. It is a tricky start for reigning four-time World Champion Verstappen, who reports over the radio that his car is jumping a lot with a very bad ride - highlighted by a lock-up and trip to the run-off area at the tight Turn 10 left-hander.
Matters are worse for Alonso, who encounters a steering wheel problem only a couple of laps into his programme and crawls back to the pits, where Aston Martin mechanics surround the AMR25 and change parts of its steering system. Some 15 minutes into the session, Russell provisionally leads the way with a time of 1'31"945 on soft tyres, just ahead of former teammate Lewis Hamilton, new teammate Kimi Antonelli, and the aforementioned Verstappen. However, as the minutes tick by and every driver completes a lap with the red-marked rubber, the McLarens impressively move to the fore - Piastri pumping in a 1'30"505 and Norris a 1'30"659 to put the papaya cars around half a second clear of the field. Russell grabs the ‘best of the rest’ slot with his own improvement, 0.527s back, with Ferrari’s Leclerc taking fourth over Antonelli, high-flying Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, and Verstappen, who reports further issues relating to his brakes late on. Hamilton winds up eighth in the sister Ferrari, as the team completes back-to-backs with their new floor design, followed by Haas youngster Bearman, the two Williams machines of Sainz and Alex Albon, and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car. Gabriel Bortoleto finds plenty of time on his soft-shod run to place 13th, from Alpine’s Jack Doohan, the compromised Alonso - who makes it back out but finishes with fewer than 20 laps - and the Haas of Esteban Ocon. Pierre Gasly puts his Alpine 17th, in front of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who continues to get to grips with the science room that is the RB21, while Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll and the Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg complete the order. It was no surprise that the much-anticipated Ferrari update, brought to the track to try and improve the issues with the SF-25, wouldn't be a game-changer in terms of performance upgrade. Likewise, it was expected that the McLaren team would confirm the supremacy that pre-season testing had already hinted at. In this regard, Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, admits that, in his opinion, the British team will once again be the benchmark in this Bahrain Grand Prix.
"Yes, half a second is a lot, but it’s clear that McLaren has been ahead since the start of the season. Of course, due to the conditions and some mistakes they made, Max Verstappen ended up ahead in Japan, and we also found ourselves ahead in China during the Sprint Race. But today, they still have two or three-tenths of a second advantage in terms of potential, depending on the conditions. We have to live with this situation for now and try to do our best, first and foremost avoiding mistakes".
Vasseur also gave a first, albeit rough and provisional, analysis of the benefit brought by the new floor and the first set of technical updates to the Ferrari SF-25:
"We have a good read on the car’s load, and it’s positive. We’ve got what we expected. You don’t immediately see it in the lap times, but today it was more about putting everything together in the lap rather than the absolute potential. Hamilton, for example, had a good lap up to Turn 11; he was just one-tenth slower than Piastri but couldn’t close the attempt properly. The conditions are a bit extreme, and it will be a matter of putting the lap together without mistakes. We still need to analyze the data carefully, but the drivers are happy with the updates. It’s a small step in increasing aerodynamic load, but a lot also depends on the conditions, because when you heat up the tires, you lose a lot of the gain from the increased aerodynamic load".
The second Free Practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix concluded by confirming McLaren’s great superiority, as they were half a second faster than the rest of the competition. This gap is understandably worrying for their rivals. Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, while emphasizing that half a second is a lot, continues to state that the gap is around 0.2-0.3 seconds. Charles Leclerc, referring to McLaren, says it’s like they’re from another planet. Nevertheless, the Monegasque driver isn't giving up and believes he can extract more performance from the updates brought to Bahrain.
"I’m trying to push in a direction that will allow me to extract the maximum from the car according to my driving style. Honestly, though, the car’s potential remains the same, and we’re not fast enough. McLaren is simply on another planet: it’s annoying, but it’s true. This motivates me to close the gap as soon as possible, but they are incredibly fast. We need to work overnight to improve the situation. The updates gave us what we expected, but unfortunately, the gap to McLaren is still too large. We have to maximize the potential of the car for now: whether it’s for fourth or fifth place, I don’t know, but we have to do it. I hope that at some point we will be the fastest car on the track, so by maximizing the performance, we’ll aim for victory, not just for a third position. We’re about on par with Mercedes, while I believe Red Bull is a bit ahead with Max Verstappen, but we’ll wait and see. We have to focus on maximizing the potential of our car: I think we can still find performance before qualifying and we will do everything we can to get the most out of the updates we brought. Let’s see where this work will take us tomorrow".
Lewis Hamilton is satisfied with the work done in Bahrain with his updated Ferrari SF-25. The British driver, while admitting the great difficulties in FP1 on a scorching hot track, says he had fun and is moderately optimistic about the possibility of extracting more performance thanks to the technical updates.
"It’s the usual Friday, but it was fun. The first session was quite difficult, as it always is when the temperatures are so high. The grip was terrible with the hard tires in the first laps, and putting on the softs, which were much better, was almost a shock. Then we made some changes to the setup, and the car was much better in FP2".
Hamilton also talks about the work done by the team during the first day of practice in Sakhir:
"We’re trying to perfect the setup, fine-tune the car, and make sure we have a good pace on long runs because that’s particularly important on a track like this. Consistency is key, and we’re trying to put the laps together, have a car that’s easy to drive, and consistent on the lap".
Finally, Hamilton commented on the new package that Scuderia Ferrari brought to Bahrain:
"Yes, the update is definitely working, and a big, big thank you goes to everyone back home and in the factory, who worked so hard to get these new parts here. It’s never an easy thing... There’s a lot of work to do in the wind tunnel to manufacture and put together these new floors. So, it’s great to see that we’re making progress and trying to get more. I hope we’ll make the right decisions between today and tomorrow".
The first two Free Practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix don't bode well for McLaren’s rivals ahead of qualifying and the race, particularly due to the potential displayed by the British cars. Both in FP1 and FP2, the British team dominated the timing sheets with both of their drivers. Lando Norris, second behind his teammate at the end of FP2, highlighted McLaren’s superiority on the Sakhir circuit:
"The sensations today were shocking. I think it was tough for everyone today compared to testing. The test was a dream, while today was awful. It was a difficult day, re-adjusting to the reality of Bahrain wasn’t easy. I don’t think it will be an exciting race on Sunday because the degradation is insane compared to testing. It’s one of those days when everything can feel terrible, but looking at the results, the times seem decent. The temperatures are very hot, there’s some wind. It’s more the temperature that made a big difference compared to testing, that’s the situation. The big challenges might be managing the rear tires in the best possible way on this track. We arrived here with a lot of data from the pre-season tests, but essentially, we have to throw it all away and start over because today’s conditions were completely different. We’re a second off the times we were doing, so it’s tough, but it’s a good starting point for the weekend for me. For the team, though, there’s still work to do".
On the other hand, Oscar Piastri seems more relaxed, also affected by the desert heat but much calmer than his teammate:
"I’m quite happy, honestly, the car seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, the heat was completely different from the tests, but we put everything together. We were strong on the single lap and also on the long run, we’re very happy. There are still a few things to work on to improve the situation, but overall, it was a good day".
It wasn't a particularly positive or easy day for Max Verstappen, the poleman and winner of the last Japanese Grand Prix, but he was only present on track for the second Free Practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix. In FP1, Yuki Tsunoda had his teammate Ayumu Iwasa, a member of the Red Bull Racing Junior Team, and Tsunoda then handed over the RB21 to the Dutch driver for FP2. Returning to the track for the final session of practice, Max Verstappen ended the day by posting only the seventh-fastest time, struggling with several issues
"The session today was tougher, even though it was a shorter day for me because I had limited driving time, as Ayumu was in the car for FP1. It took a few laps to get in tune, the balance wasn’t bad, but we really struggled with grip. As a team, we took a different approach to Friday compared to our competitors. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the long term, and we hope tomorrow will be more fun. I’m not completely happy, but I really struggled with the overall grip feeling. The balance wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t much fun in the long run. The gap is big, yes, very big".
The first two Free Practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix present a scenario quite similar to winter testing, with the McLaren cars appearing untouchable. Red Bull Racing, which had taken pole position and victory in Suzuka with Max Verstappen, doesn’t seem capable of repeating that performance. It’s no coincidence that the team principal of the Anglo-Austrian team, Christian Horner, is keeping a low profile:
"We have quite a bit of work to do tonight. The McLarens look incredibly fast. We’re close to Mercedes and Ferrari, but McLaren seem to have a few tenths on the rest of the grid. First of all, we’ll need to understand how to improve, and I think we’ll focus on tire temperature management".
Horner hints that Bahrain won’t be a land of miracles for Red Bull Racing:
"It’ll be impossible to replicate what we did in qualifying last week and then keep the other cars behind for an entire race. This is a track where overtaking is relatively easy, so there’s a lot of work ahead with the engineers tonight".
In Bahrain, behind the McLaren team, the battle is wide open, with Mercedes also in the mix. George Russell is aiming to return to the podium after a tough weekend in Suzuka, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli continues his learning curve: the Italian driver isn’t settling and wants more. Regarding this, he says:
"My FP1 was quite short. Unfortunately, I had an issue with the intercooler, so I had to stop. But I think FP2 was quite positive. I was quick on the flying lap, even though I made a big mistake in the first sector, but overall it went well. The long runs were quite tricky and I had to adapt. Knowing the track helped me a lot - I immediately felt confident in the car and could push. For now, McLaren still seems to be the favorite by far. But I think a top-five finish in qualifying is possible: we can fight with Red Bull and Ferrari".
Meanwhile, George Russell says:
"FP2 went well. We expected McLaren to be a step ahead, and that’s what we saw. They were stronger in the middle sector, where the tires overheat. Honestly, I think we’re in a position to fight to be the best of the rest. I believe the battle will be tight between us, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Unlike the last three races, I think this weekend won’t be decided in qualifying but by race pace and tire degradation. Of course, you want a good qualifying, but the action will happen in the race".
On Saturday, April 12, 2025, it is a quiet start when the green light is displayed, with just Ollie Bearman initially taking to the track for Haas on the hard tyre while the likes of Norris and Max Verstappen are seen chatting to members of their respective teams in the pit lane. Bearman and team mate Esteban Ocon are soon joined on the circuit by the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc, both sporting the soft compound. And with Bearman reporting that the difference in grip from the day and night sessions is crazy, it appears that the tricky conditions experienced in Friday’s FP1 are again at play. While most of the pack opt for the soft or hard tyre for their opening runs, Alpine bucks the trend by choosing the medium. But it is Piastri who sets the pace on a soft-shod run by the halfway point of the session, the McLaren man going quickest on a lap of 1'33"324 to put him four-tenths clear of team mate Norris with Fernando Alonso third for Aston Martin. Verstappen, meanwhile, aborts his flying run after going wide and returns to the pits for some set-up changes to his Red Bull Racing, while George Russell joins the action with 30 minutes left on the clock, the Briton seemingly being content to wait for slightly cooler conditions to arrive. There is trouble for Nico Hulkenberg as the German is forced to stop his Kick Sauber at Turn 8 after going into anti-stall, triggering the yellow flags before a brief Virtual Safety Car is called. As the green flags are thrown and the action picks up, Verstappen moves up to second despite another slightly wide moment out on track. An unusual problem hits Leclerc as one of the Monegasque’s wing mirrors is seen flying off his Ferrari. Liam Lawson, meanwhile, is unhappy at being overtaken by Russell, the Racing Bulls driver telling his engineer that the move is so annoying. Speaking of Russell, the Briton brings out the yellow flags for a moment following a spin at Turn 10 before going on to declare that the conditions offer the least amount of grip he has ever experienced in an F1 car.
As the clock ticks down, attentions turn to flying runs and a flurry of quick times see the order on the timesheets rapidly evolve. When this shakes out, Piastri sets an impressive benchmark of 1'31"646 - and while others try to challenge, team mate Norris is still 0.668s back as the closest rival in second. Leclerc takes the accolade of being the only other car within a second of Piastri in third, with Russell and Kimi Antonelli further off for Mercedes in fourth and fifth respectively. Pierre Gasly is an eye-catching sixth for Alpine, while Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Verstappen, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Hamilton complete the top 10. Ocon leads Haas’ charge in P11, from Jack Doohan in the Alpine, Lawson, Alonso and the Williams of Alex Albon. Bearman claims P16, leading the way from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Bortoleto in P17 and P18, while Hulkenberg is P19 after being unable to rejoin the action. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, brings up the rear in 20th place for Red Bull Racing. After three practice sessions around the Bahrain International Circuit, all topped by McLaren, attention turns to Saturday evening’s Qualifying hour - but will the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari have any answers for the papaya cars? It is a relatively calm start to the grid decider, with only Alonso, Stroll and Hulkenberg hitting the track in the first couple of minutes, bringing a low 1'32"0 banker lap from the Spaniard, before more cars gradually trickle out and clock times. Ocon becomes the 20th and final driver to emerge from the pits thanks to some last-minute adjustments to the cockpit of his Haas machine, while Stroll and the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Tsunoda all lose early laps for exceeding track limits.
"There’s something really wrong with the car".
Adds Verstappen in a frustrated radio message to the Red Bull pit wall, with the reigning four-time World Champion seen running extremely wide at the final corner and then crawling back to his garage. Up front, usual suspects Norris and Piastri slot into P1 and P2 respectively with their opening Qualifying runs, reinforcing McLaren’s strong practice pace - the Briton produces a 1'31"107 to lead his teammate by just under three-tenths of a second. Leclerc holds third position at this point, from Antonelli, Alonso and a charging Doohan, but at the other end of the order, Stroll, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Verstappen and Tsunoda find themselves in the drop zone and need improvements. As the final laps roll in, amid a blur of purple and green sectors on the timing screen, Verstappen and Tsunoda both do enough to get themselves out of danger - Verstappen shoots to third and Tsunoda goes a far less comfortable 14th. Bortoleto and Stroll are ultimately unable to clear that first hurdle, dropping out in 18th and 19th, with Albon a surprise elimination in 16th, Lawson encountering apparent DRS issues en route to 17th, and Bearman placing last after a scrappy final lap. Hulkenberg scrapes through in 15th and goes on to take part in Q2, but an unusual turn of events as Qualifying progresses sees the German demoted to 16th, behind Albon, when a track limits violation is belatedly applied. Norris remains on top in a statement of intent from himself and McLaren, followed by Hamilton, Verstappen and Piastri, with Doohan holding on to a top-five spot over Antonelli, Leclerc, Gasly, Russell and Hadjar. Only moments after the second phase begins, red flags are thrown for a sizeable crash involving Ocon - replays show the Frenchman losing control of his Haas over the kerbs through Turn 2, sliding across the track and thumping the barriers. Several minutes later, with Ocon’s car cleared and barrier checks complete, the green light is switched back on at the end of the pit lane to release a queue of eager drivers - some 11 minutes remain to secure spots in the pole position shootout. McLaren again catches the eye on their initial Q2 runs, which see Piastri produce an impressive 1'30"454 and teammate Norris deliver a time just one tenth slower, putting the pair around half a second clear of nearest rivals Leclerc and Antonelli. However, a handful of drivers, including Hamilton and the Red Bull racers, opt to complete just one flying lap much later in the segment, setting up another thrilling finale as improvements come in thick and fast beyond the chequered flag. Gasly finds a chunk of time on his final lap to go third behind the McLarens, while Russell and Antonelli go fourth and fifth over Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton, Verstappen and Tsunoda - although the Mercedes drivers are both noted for lining up at the end of the pit lane before a session resumption time is announced. Doohan just misses out on Q3 after a battling performance in the second Alpine, a week on from his heavy practice crash at Suzuka, with Hadjar, Alonso, the sidelined Ocon and Hulkenberg - who also does not get a lap in - completing the Q2 order.
Following another short break between Qualifying segments, it is time for Q3 and the eagerly awaited battle for pole position, with Piastri and McLaren continuing where they left off in Q2 via a provisional P1 time of 1'30"233 from the Australian. However, a brilliant lap from Russell puts the Mercedes man just a tenth behind Piastri, and ahead of Norris’ McLaren, with Leclerc, Hamilton and Antonelli completing the top six - until the latter two drivers lose times for exceeding track limits. Further back, there is more trouble for Verstappen, who laments that:
I can’t brake at all".
Leaving him slowest after the opening runs - behind new teammate Tsunoda, Gasly and Sainz - and with plenty of work to do next time around. Then comes a flurry of improvements and position changes as McLaren’s rivals step it up a gear - Antonelli and Russell both briefly take over at the top, before Leclerc splits them, piling the pressure on the McLaren drivers. While Piastri pulls out a stunning 1'29"841 to move back ahead of that trio and secure pole position, Norris experiences a tricky final lap en route to sixth, just behind Gasly’s Alpine - leaving him to ponder what might have been. Sitting just one point behind Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen works through his brake woes to take seventh, as Sainz, Hamilton and Tsunoda - making his first Q3 appearance for Red Bull Racing - round out the top 10.
"I’m slow, I feel like I’ve never driven a Formula 1 car before. The team did a fantastic job, and I’m letting them down".
Those were the words of Lando Norris at the end of Qualifying. The British driver was harder on himself than the stopwatch had been in Q3, where the McLaren driver - who seemed to be in a head-to-head battle with Oscar Piastri for pole position - could do no better than sixth place, finishing behind both Mercedes drivers, Charles Leclerc (third), and Pierre Gasly (fifth). Norris will have to fight back from the third row in the race, but the silver lining is that a two-stop strategy is expected, and making up ground in Bahrain with such a McLaren is far from impossible:
"I’ve struggled all weekend, I need to understand why. The car is fantastic, Oscar Piastri is on pole with a good margin. Will I be faster in the race than in Qualifying? We’ll see".
Norris currently leads the World Championship by just 1 point over Max Verstappen and 13 over Oscar Piastri, who will have a golden opportunity in the race to close the gap to his teammate in the standings.
"There's clearly something not working".
With this sentence, Max Verstappen began Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, before making a mistake at the final corner due to a lock-up. The Dutch driver was then unable to fix the issues with his car. Ahead of him, in addition to the McLarens, were also the two Mercedes, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.
"The whole weekend has been difficult. The brakes aren’t working properly and, in general, we’re not able to stop the car. We've tried everything without identifying a clear direction, which means we really have a lot of problems".
Verstappen will have two new sets of Hard tyres to use in the race, potentially giving him an advantage in a high tyre-degradation race:
"Let’s hope so - it’s definitely something different we can try. But even the hard tyres slide around a lot, which means they’ll still wear out. I’ll try to bring home as many points as possible, like I always do, but I have no idea where we’ll end up tomorrow. I’m starting from the middle of the pack, so I think it’s definitely going to be a chaotic race".
At the Bahrain Grand Prix, on a track where McLaren had never before achieved a pole position or a victory in its history, Oscar Piastri claimed the second pole position of his career. An important result for the Australian driver.
"Was I expecting a bigger gap? Not necessarily. Maybe the gap is a bit smaller than I would’ve liked or expected, but not by much. We did well, but I don’t think the others managed to put together very clean laps. Even in FP2 we had one or two tenths of an advantage. In FP3 it was a bit of a different story - we felt very strong, but we knew conditions would be completely different tonight. So the gap is more or less what I expected, even if maybe the others are a bit closer".
Looking ahead to the race and the pace he plans to set - which appeared completely out of reach for the competition during practice - Piastri doesn’t shy away, and even openly talks about his plans to break away.
"Pulling away straight from the start thanks to pole? That’s the hope. The first thing will be to try and keep the lead after Turn 1. If I manage that, then I trust the pace we’ve got. That doesn’t mean we can relax or do whatever we want, but we do have strong pace and I hope I can show that tomorrow".
It was a tale of two Qualifyings for Scuderia Ferrari in the Bahrain Grand Prix. A smiling Charles Leclerc, who finished third behind Oscar Piastri and George Russell at the end of Q3, and a visibly disappointed Lewis Hamilton, who ended up only eighth after seeming to be on par with his teammate during the earlier stages. After Qualifying, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur addressed the result:
"Hamilton? He only struggled on the final Q3 attempt. Before that, he was right there - actually, on the first Q3 attempt, he was ahead of Charles. The first lap was aligned, but on the second lap, he made a small mistake that left him behind. Still, I think the pace was there all weekend. It’s a shame he couldn’t put it all together in the last lap. All three sessions were quite chaotic for Lewis, for us, and for everyone in general. Russell, for example, struggled to get through Q2 and then ended up on the front row in Q3. From stint to stint, the gap is huge because the car is very sensitive to the wind, and that applies to us and to others. The gap from P1 to P15 was 2.5 seconds, while in Q1 it was under 1 second. The high track temperature really widened the gaps. Just a small balance issue and you end up burning the tires in the corners, which increases the gap a lot".
Looking ahead to the race, the French manager seemed optimistic:
"Podium possible? The podium is always possible, and starting from third place we need to be ambitious. The problem for everyone is that we haven’t done long stints on these tires, so we haven’t tested the conditions we’ll face tomorrow. But so far, we’ve always looked good on long runs. We have an extra set of mediums, and we hope that gives us an advantage".
Finally, Vasseur had a word about the updates Ferrari brought to Sakhir
"In Bahrain, there are a lot of medium-speed corners and not many high-speed ones. There’s just the stretch around Turns 5 and 6 - that’s the only spot. We’ll definitely get a clearer picture next week in Jeddah".
Charles Leclerc was smiling at the end of Bahrain GP qualifying. His third-place start - behind only Oscar Piastri and George Russell - pleased him, as did the feeling he got from the SF-25. After the Japanese Grand Prix, the Monegasque driver had said he had a clear direction in mind for setting up his car and was confident it was the right path to take. For now, it looks like he was right.
"I think I did the best I could, there was nothing more to get. I’m happy because for a few weekends now I’ve been pushing in the direction I’ve talked about, which always seems to pay off a bit more - I feel like I’m extracting more and more from the car. That’s because I feel more comfortable, and it suits my driving style more and more, so I’m happy about that. I need to keep going in that direction—I’m sure it will pay off".
Leclerc was also happy with how he compared to his rivals on this Bahrain Saturday night.
"In qualifying, we didn’t expect to be this close to the McLarens. But we also expected Mercedes to be very close to McLaren, so we’re surprised to be this close to everyone in general. I’m very happy".
The race, however, is another story:
"Matching McLaren’s race pace? I don’t think it will be possible. McLaren will be outstanding tomorrow, in my opinion. When we saw the lap times in FP3, I think everyone in the paddock looked around wondering how it was possible. Updates? I thank the team for the big effort to bring everything here. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best track to take full advantage of those updates".
Head down, few words, and a face that says it all: Lewis Hamilton didn’t need to speak to show his disappointment after qualifying ninth for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The British driver made no excuses. It doesn’t matter that it’s only his fourth race weekend with Scuderia Ferrari - everyone expected a different start to the season.
"Did I have an issue in the last sector? No, it didn’t make any difference - I was just too slow. Right now, I have no confidence heading into the race. I feel really sorry for the whole team, both trackside and at the factory, and I apologize to all the fans, that’s all".
Good thing he was supposed to suffer the pains of a rookie season. Instead, Andrea Kimi Antonelli drives like a veteran, and in only his fourth Formula 1 weekend, he secures a second-row start. In Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying, the Italian driver showcased his talent by grabbing fourth place, just 0.038s behind Charles Leclerc and 0.2s off George Russell - hardly rookies themselves.
"In qualifying, we're top-5 material".
said the Mercedes driver beforehand - words that clearly reflect both confidence and clarity of purpose. Once again, his prediction turned into reality, to the delight of Toto Wolff (who, for now, is clearly winning his bet) and the entire Mercedes team. Now, Antonelli is not ready to stop dreaming.
"I felt a lot better. Conditions were very different from the test, so I had to adapt a bit, but I felt good in the car and was finally able to push the way I wanted. Now it's all about putting everything together. The confidence is there and growing, but there are still things I need to learn - like how to get the most out of the tyres in these conditions. Let's say I didn’t maximize them on the final lap, I left something on the table. But we’re on the right path".
George Russell, too, had reason to smile. With another stellar performance, he secured the 16th front-row start of his career - and curiously, his first ever front row also came in Bahrain, back in the 2020 Grand Prix. However, the British driver isn’t letting himself be fooled - he believes the fight for victory remains open from third place down:
"My feeling is that McLaren is extremely strong when it’s really hot and there’s high tyre degradation. We saw that in Suzuka, where there wasn’t much degradation or overheating, and they were still faster. This morning in FP3, when it was hot, they were incredible - and since I expect a lot of overheating tomorrow, I think they’ll be very strong".
A few hours after the end of Qualifying, the starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix has changed. The Mercedes team has been penalized with a one-place grid drop for George Russell and another for Andrea Kimi Antonelli due to an error made during the Q2 interruption caused by Esteban Ocon’s crash. Specifically, the team released the drivers from the garage before the race direction had given the signal to resume the session. The penalties handed to Russell and Antonelli move Charles Leclerc to the front row (he will now start second, alongside Oscar Piastri) and Pierre Gasly to the second row. Russell and Antonelli drop to third and fifth positions, respectively. On Sunday, April 13, 2025, after the formation lap is completed and the lights go out at 6:00 p.m. local time, Piastri makes a good launch off the line - but so does Russell, who leaps past Leclerc before locking up into Turn 1, coming perilously close to making contact with Piastri in the process. Norris, meanwhile, enjoys a spectacular start from P6, the Briton bouncing back from his Qualifying struggles to move up into third ahead of Leclerc. Gasly follows in fifth, while Norris’ former teammate Sainz also makes gains, going from P8 to P6 in the Williams. As Piastri stretches out a lead of more than one second from Russell up front, Antonelli is under increasing pressure from Verstappen in a scrap for seventh place. Elsewhere there is some concerning news for Norris, with the Briton noted by the stewards for a potential false start for being out of position on the grid. Further back, Ocon and Albon both gain two positions in P12 and P13 respectively, while Bearman looks in racy form after surging forward from last to P15. Bearman’s former F2 teammate Antonelli, meanwhile, snatches sixth place from Sainz before Verstappen follows through to take seventh, the Dutchman being pushed slightly wide in the process while battling the Williams. With the stewards investigating Norris’ potential false start, replays highlight that Verstappen reports that the McLaren is way out of his grid box. And just moments later, it is confirmed that a five-second time penalty is issued to the Briton, who continues to run in third place.
"We will recover these positions".
Lando Norris is told by his race engineer. Meanwhile, as Lap 9 ticks down, a thrilling duel plays out between Sainz and Hamilton - the man who replaces him at Ferrari - over P8, the seven-time World Champion eventually muscling by before Tsunoda follows suit to push a struggling Sainz down to P10. Norris heads into the pits on Lap 11 - where he also serves his penalty, dropping him down to P14 after bolting on the medium tyres - while Gasly and Verstappen also make their stops for the medium and hard rubber respectively. Verstappen suffers a particularly slow stop, the World Champion emerging in P16. Up at the front, Piastri remains in the lead by six seconds from Leclerc, with Hamilton, Sainz and Albon completing the top five, all of whom have yet to stop. Red Bull endures further pit problems with Tsunoda, with the squad’s light system not working - meaning that the drivers are not seeing the green light to signal that they can go. On Lap 15, race leader Piastri has better luck in the pits after making a smooth stop for the medium tyres, bringing him back out into third. This puts the top 10 order as Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Russell, Albon, Norris, Gasly, Alonso, Ocon and Verstappen, with Albon and Alonso not having stopped along with the Ferrari pair. The Williams and Aston Martin both soon pit for the hard and medium compound respectively - before Leclerc and Hamilton follow on Lap 18 to double stack for the mediums, despite Leclerc seemingly suggesting that he wants to do a one-stop strategy. The Monegasque returns to the track in fourth, with Hamilton in 11th. With everybody having made their stops, the order on Lap 20 shakes out as Piastri, Russell, Norris, Leclerc, Gasly, Ocon - who benefits from pitting early - Antonelli, Verstappen, Doohan and Hamilton.
There is quickly a change to this thanks to Antonelli, the young Italian sweeping ahead of Verstappen into Turn 4 to take seventh.
"Everything is overheating".
An unhappy Verstappen reports, with the Red Bull Racing soon being chased down by Doohan and Hamilton behind. Hamilton - the fastest man on track with fresh rubber on the SF-25 - is in no mood to hang around, the Briton making an overtake down the inside of Doohan into Turn 1 on Lap 22. Next in his sights is Verstappen - and that move quickly comes, dropping the Dutchman to ninth.
"I can’t even brake anymore".
Max Verstappen tells race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. Another man to nearly lose a position is Norris, with Leclerc attempting to snatch P3 from the Briton before going wide into Turn 1 and allowing the McLaren back through. But the Monegasque does not have to wait long to complete the move, finding a way past Norris into Turn 4. And in a double success for Ferrari, Hamilton surges ahead of Antonelli for seventh - before then taking sixth from Ocon, the Scuderia’s cars seemingly flying as the race reaches its halfway point. Another pit drama plays out for Verstappen as the Dutchman makes his second stop for medium tyres on Lap 27, with the front right proving stubborn to remove. This drops the Red Bull Racing down to the back of the order. Others subsequently start to visit the pits for a second time, Antonelli seemingly going onto a three-stop strategy as the soft compound goes on to his Mercedes. Gasly also stops for the hard tyres, while Verstappen already moves up to P14 on his recovery drive. By Lap 30, Piastri remains some six seconds clear of Russell up ahead, with Leclerc, Norris and Hamilton completing the top five. Behind them, a feisty scrap is playing out between Sainz and Tsunoda for sixth, during which a slide from the Red Bull results in contact with the Williams, throwing up some pieces of debris along the way. A Safety Car is then called - seemingly in perfect timing for Piastri and indeed the rest of the top five, who all dive into the pits before returning to the track in their same order. And while much of the field also pits, Gasly, Ocon, Verstappen and Doohan all stay out, putting them in sixth to ninth respectively. Russell, unlike the rest of the top five, bolts on the soft tyres, leading the Briton to suggest that running the compound until the end of the race is an audacious strategy. Piastri and Norris are using the medium, with Leclerc and Hamilton on the Hard. As the Safety Car peels into the pits on Lap 35, Piastri - having lost the lead he has built up earlier on - is faced with the task of fending off his competitors.
While the Australian and Russell behind him both get away cleanly, Norris tries to fight past Leclerc but ends up boxed in by the Ferraris, with Hamilton getting through in the process. Norris then retakes the position from Hamilton - but with the move seemingly taking place off the track into Turn 4, the McLaren then allows the Ferrari back through. Within another lap, though, Norris again snatches fourth from Hamilton, this time sealing the move for good. By Lap 40, Piastri leads from Russell by 1.8s, with Leclerc in third followed by Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Ocon, Doohan - searching for his first points of the season - and Tsunoda. Those last positions look uncertain, though, with Tsunoda hot on the tail of Doohan in a fight for ninth. Bearman and Antonelli, meanwhile, are also closing in on the battle in 11th and 12th, the rookies both looking to add to their points tallies. Another duel of note is taking place between Leclerc and Norris over P3, the McLaren running within a second of the Ferrari by Lap 44. Elsewhere, Sainz is handed a 10-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track during an earlier fight with Antonelli at the Safety Car restart - adding to the Spaniard’s woes as replays show a hole in the sidepod of the Williams, seemingly the cause of the debris that brings out that Safety Car. While Sainz goes on to retire the car to bring his difficult day to a close, Norris locks up as he continues to look for a way past Leclerc. Another close moment occurs as the Briton tries again on Lap 49, with the McLaren still unable to overtake his rival as he runs off track into Turn 1. It is on Lap 52 that Norris finally snatches the position around the outside into Turn 4 - while Russell is noted for a DRS infringement which will be investigated after the race, the Briton complaining about the gears on his W16.
While Norris is shown a black and white flag for track limits, the McLaren is rapidly closing in on Russell amid the Mercedes seemingly experiencing some issues. Another name in trouble is Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver having been handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Hulkenberg. As Piastri maintains an untroubled lead up front, Norris is all over the back of Russell as the race enters its final laps, the papaya car looking for a way past into several corners. It turns out to not be the case, as - while Piastri crosses the line to take victory with a whopping lead of 15 seconds - Norris has to settle for third behind Russell, the gap between those two ending up at just 0.774s. Leclerc holds onto fourth, with Hamilton following in fifth, while Verstappen pulls off a late overtake on Gasly to snatch sixth place after a challenging event for the World Champion. Seventh for Gasly still brings Alpine their much-needed debut points of the season, though, while his former teammate Ocon is a solid eighth for Haas. Tsunoda scores his first points as a Red Bull driver in ninth, with Bearman taking the final point on offer in P10, marking a strong recovery after starting from the back of the grid. Fellow rookie Antonelli, however, misses out in 11th, while Albon’s run of points finishes also comes to an end in 12th. The Bahrain Grand Prix, marked by Oscar Piastri’s second victory of the season, Lando Norris’s comeback from sixth to third place, and the flop by Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen, has given the British team’s driver duo the chance to dominate the top positions in the World Championship standings. McLaren’s two drivers are currently first and second in the rankings, with Norris still holding a 3-point lead over his teammate. The season is still very long, but the performance of the MCL39 has led many to believe that this head-to-head battle could continue throughout the year, with little interference from other contenders - even though Max Verstappen and George Russell remain close behind the British team’s pair. Both Piastri and Norris, speaking at the post-race press conference, revealed a growing awareness that the fight for the Drivers’ Championship might soon turn into a two-man battle between themselves. Oscar Piastri was the first to speak:
"Has the battle between us started? Honestly, I thought it began back in Melbourne. I think right now we have a great car. For the most part, we've been able to do a good job. We’re now in the positions where we should be. I think it’s going to be a tight battle, and there could be other contenders. What we’ve seen so far is that there hasn’t been a consistent challenger from week to week. It’s always been someone different, which, from a championship perspective, makes life harder for the others. I believe it’s going to be a very competitive year, and as long as we have the best car, the fight between me and Lando will be close".
Words that were met with agreement from Lando Norris. The British driver, even more explicitly, explained how the goal is to eliminate all rivals from contention as soon as possible:
"Oscar put it well. I think this season - we as a team already knew before the season started - there were going to be tense moments between us and some great battles. I’m sure there will be more throughout the year, and I think we’re both excited about that. We have to keep working hard as a team to stay ahead of the rest. Because I’m sure we both prefer it to just be the two of us, that the fight is between me and him, and no one else. As a team, we’d prefer that. It would probably make our lives easier. Of course, we’re not forgetting how close the competition is. We have the best car on the grid, but it only takes one mistake - as I made on Saturday - and you pay the price".
Frederic Vasseur isn’t looking for easy ways to get Ferrari’s first podium of the season. The Scuderia Ferrari team principal isn't calling for a penalty for George Russell, which would hand Charles Leclerc - who finished less than 5 seconds behind the Mercedes driver - third place in the race:
"Russell lost the transponder, so there were no lap times or GPS, and they had to disable the system for manual DRS activation, which he then had to manage on his own. He opened the DRS flap, and I think it was a mistake on that lap because there was no one in front of him... But I don’t think they’ll penalize him because it was a small advantage, and it wasn’t intentional".
Beyond this regulatory issue, Vasseur commented on Ferrari’s race strategy:
"I think Mercedes was very aggressive - even Russell said it was a bold move. And it was, it surprised us. But the Safety Car didn’t help us because it came out at the moment when we were the fastest on track, but that’s how it went. What would we have done? It depended on the pace, but if we had kept the strong and consistent pace we had up until that point, we could’ve extended the stint a bit and then fitted Softs. The problem was that when the Safety Car came out, there were 24 laps to go and it was too risky to go for the Softs. Starting on Mediums and then going Mediums again, we could’ve chosen between Hards and Softs depending on tire degradation. That was the most flexible strategy, because with high degradation we could go with Hards, otherwise Softs if wear was low. I don’t know if it was the best we could’ve done, because when we decided to extend the first stint, we were aiming to have an advantage in the final part of the race with fresher tires - but the Safety Car ruined that plan. That’s not an excuse though. It went how it went. You can’t predict the Safety Car, and there’s no point complaining when it does come out".
Vasseur also spoke about Ferrari’s competitiveness after introducing their latest update package:
"Where is Ferrari right now? We are where we are. I think it’s clear to everyone that McLaren is one step ahead. In certain conditions - like during the second stint - we’re right there. But overall, on average, they are two to three tenths faster than us, maybe a bit more in some stints, maybe a bit less in others. That’s the gap we’re talking about, and we’re battling with Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. That’s how it is. I think the situation can change depending on the track and the session, but for now, we’re in that group with Red Bull and Mercedes. The new floor? Yes, but let’s manage expectations - we’re talking about a few hundredths of a second. The key factor for performance across the paddock right now is tire management. And Jeddah is almost the opposite of Bahrain - it’s a track where you can do ten qualifying laps on the same set of tires".
He closed by commenting on Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing weekend, despite a solid comeback during the race:
"I understand the frustration, because in FP1 and up until Q2, he did a great job - one lap ahead of Charles, another lap behind. Then in Q3, he lost his first lap (due to track limits), and on the second attempt, he made a mistake and ended up ninth. He had a good race today - he finished ahead of Max Verstappen and other cars that started in front of him. But if you start that far back, it’s tough.
In Bahrain, Charles Leclerc fought like a lion, but ultimately wasn’t able to secure Ferrari’s first podium of the year. Starting from the front row, the Monegasque driver finished P4 and had to concede third place in the closing stages to the superior McLaren of Lando Norris, whose MCL39 proved far too strong for the Maranello car - despite Leclerc giving it everything to hold the Brit behind him. The position relative to George Russell was lost at the start due to Ferrari's choice to fit both drivers with Medium tires, while other competitors opted for Softs.
“The strategy was the one we wanted to execute from the start. At one point during the race, especially early on, I had a different view. Did I think a one-stop was possible? Yes. But in the end, with the Safety Car coming out - something we obviously couldn’t predict - the right call was to go for two stops. The Softs degraded a lot for us, so we had no choice but to fit the Hards at the end, because we couldn’t have done what Russell did on the Softs. Right now, they simply have a more complete car. Today, this was the best result possible - I gave it my all, but it wasn’t enough".
Going into detail, Leclerc added:
"Second stint? The car felt pretty good there - until I got behind George. After that, everything overheated and it became impossible. Even the first stint wasn’t bad, but we had to recalibrate a bit because we were out of balance. In the second stint, we were in the right window, but the Hards didn’t work well today. Getting back to fighting for the podium? I really hope so, because of course it’s disappointing when you give it everything and finish fourth. It doesn’t make me smile - but for now, that’s the situation we’re in. We gave everything this weekend, but everything isn’t enough just yet".
It wasn’t an easy weekend for Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix. After a disappointing Qualifying session that saw him secure only ninth place on the starting grid, the British driver managed a decent comeback. Hamilton finished the race in fifth place, just behind Charles Leclerc, but with a gap of over 8 seconds accumulated in just over 20 laps - which says a lot about the difficulties he’s facing in adapting to the characteristics of the SF-25. Hamilton himself spoke about these adaptation struggles at the end of the race:
"I didn’t expect it to go this badly, honestly. I didn’t think my performance would be like this or that my ability to adapt to this car would be as poor as it turned out to be. But it’s okay - I’m definitely not giving up, and I’ll keep pushing. Today I hope I showed that I’ve still got something in me, and I just need to get even closer to that potential".
Hamilton then went on to delve deeper into the topic:
"I think it’s clear that, as human beings, we often get stuck in our habits. I’ve driven in a certain style, in a certain way, with the same team for a really long time. I’ve moved to a new car that requires a different driving style and different settings. I’m using engine braking now, which I had never used before, and even the brakes are very different. Here we use Brembos, whereas for the past fifteen years I’ve used Carbone Industrie brakes. This car requires a very, very different driving style, and so I’m adapting. I’m slowly trying to rewire some things in my head to find the right balance. But it’s also clear that Charles starts with a setup and keeps it pretty much the same throughout the weekend, whereas I’m very far from him. Just before Qualifying I moved closer to his setup choices, but then all the settings were off. So yeah, I need to do a better job throughout the weekend. I know I can do it, and I will. Next week, I’ll try to start from a better baseline and not deviate too much from it. Like I said, I think I’ve figured out how the car wants to be driven, and I hope I can apply those lessons next weekend. If I can qualify better, I can get much better results".
George Russell’s third podium in four races is safe. The Mercedes driver retains the second place he secured on track. This was confirmed by the statement issued by the Federation, which cleared Russell of any wrongdoing for the accidental DRS activation on the straight while he was in second position ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, but well behind Oscar Piastri. In the document released by the stewards, the incident was explained in detail, along with the main reason why the British driver was not penalized:
"While Russell gained 0.02 seconds [through the DRS activation], he lost 0.28 seconds in the following corner to compensate. This was confirmed by telemetry".
The decision comes as no surprise, partly due to historical precedents. Even Scuderia Ferrari had already decided not to file a protest against the Mercedes driver, as confirmed by Frederic Vasseur. The official report details the technical issue that affected George Russell’s car during the race, which led to the unintended opening of the DRS.
At the end of Qualifying, it looked like Andrea Kimi Antonelli was set for another standout weekend.
However, after finishing fourth on track, the Italian driver was demoted to fifth on the starting grid. Then, an early pit stop dropped him into traffic behind Esteban Ocon and, ironically, Max Verstappen, who was struggling significantly today. After a second stop due to excessive tyre wear from running behind the World Champion’s car, Antonelli’s race was further compromised by a Safety Car deployment caused by debris on track. As a result, the Italian driver had to attempt a comeback from P14. His final push was once again thwarted by a Haas - this time Oliver Bearman’s - who crossed the finish line just ahead of him. Antonelli, the first rookie in Formula 1 history to score points in each of his first three career Grands Prix, made no excuses after the race:
"We need to revisit some of the decisions that were made because after every pit stop, I kept ending up further back. It definitely wasn’t an easy race because every time I came out of the pits, I had to push very hard to regain positions, and that led to more tyre degradation. Dirty air plays a huge role, especially on a track where degradation is extremely high and doesn’t help. There are definitely areas I still need to work on. I think after the pit stops I pushed a bit too hard trying to recover immediately, and I probably could’ve been more gradual with my pace. It wasn’t an easy race, but thankfully Jeddah is coming up right away, so now we’re focusing on next week".
Max Verstappen’s race certainly ended on a worse note. After the race, Raymond Vermeulen, the Dutch driver’s manager, entered the team’s garage, spoke with Helmut Marko, and then stormed out visibly angry. The reason for the argument isn’t entirely clear, as Marko’s post-race comments seemed quite balanced and focused on giving Max a winning car. However, the tension may stem from a disastrous weekend in Sakhir, where Red Bull Racing was both slow on track and error-prone in the pits. Verstappen encountered issues during both of his pit stops - first with a malfunctioning team traffic light system, and later with trouble removing the front right tyre. When asked after the race whether he needed to talk to the team, Verstappen replied:
"Yes, but not now. I don’t feel like it".
A statement similar to the one he made after qualifying, where he openly admitted he didn’t see himself fighting for the World Championship. So, once again, rumors of a possible departure of Max Verstappen from the Anglo-Austrian team are circulating in the paddock. Meanwhile, Helmut Marko doesn’t hide the fact that the team is currently facing unexplained technical issues that are limiting the car’s competitiveness:
"Our car isn’t balanced, and we don’t know what the issue is. I think it’s mainly aerodynamic. Also, our Friday free practice sessions are always poor - we really need to change a lot of things. In the short term we can’t do much, but we hope that once we get to Europe we can make progress. With this level of performance, the championship is out of reach. We need to give Max a car with a solid foundation that will allow him to fight for the World Championship".
Just seven days have passed since Max Verstappen’s triumph in Suzuka at the Japanese Grand Prix, but it feels like a century ago. In Bahrain, the reigning World Champion was never in contention - not just for the win, but not even for a podium spot. In fact, his final sixth place came only on the last lap, when the Dutch driver pulled off a spectacular move to overtake Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, which had been ahead of him for almost the entire race.
"Everything went wrong - we just didn’t have the pace. The tires were overheating, the balance was bad. We also had poor pit stops. Was anything unexpected? Yes, the pit stops. Usually, we’re good at that, but today everything went badly. The overall balance was poor, our tire management was quite bad, and on a track like this, that’s especially costly because of the high degradation. Hopefully, this was one of the worst tracks for us and we’ll do much better in Jeddah".
Speaking again with journalists a few hours later, Max Verstappen essentially confirmed the same version of events, putting the responsibility on the team to resolve the many issues with the RB21:
"I think the position I finished in was the best we could’ve achieved. Can the problems be fixed? If we know where to find them, yes. But you’ll have to ask them - I don’t know. The issue isn’t just the brake feeling, which still isn’t right, but also the tire overheating. So when I brake, I have no feeling because it’s really easy to lock up the fronts or the rears at the same time".
After two finishes outside the top 10 by Liam Lawson, who was later replaced by Yuki Tsunoda starting from the Japanese Grand Prix, the Japanese driver finished the Bahrain Grand Prix in P9, earning 2 points:
"Today was another learning curve. I feel like I could have done better, there are still a lot of things we could’ve improved together, and the issues in the pits cost us positions. The pace was good, but I’m not completely satisfied because I think we could’ve gained a couple more spots. It’s only my second race and new things happen that I’ve never experienced before, so it’s good that we’re encountering these early on so we can maximize things going forward. Overall, these are my first points with the team, so it has to be considered a positive day. I feel like we made a step forward compared to Suzuka, so I appreciate the team’s support and that we’ve been able to progress so quickly. I’m not setting a specific goal for Jeddah yet, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing - hopefully improve a bit in qualifying, which would make my life easier".
That Tsunoda wasn’t entirely satisfied with scoring his first points for Red Bull Racing was also clear from his team radio during the cool-down lap, although he did acknowledge the steps forward made with the RB21 ahead of the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
"Sorry guys, the pace was there. I think the first points are good. Let’s keep pushing".