REVIEW – The Bahrain Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri dominates while the rest of the field battles it out
April 13 marked the fourth installment in the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Bahrain Grand Prix was an action-packed spectacle under the lights. Oscar Piastri with McLaren secured a dominant victory, George Russell (Mercedes) coming in second and Lando Norris (McLaren) completing the podium in third.
The Australian Oscar Piastri stormed to a dominant victory, making him the first repeat winner of the 2025 season. George ultimately finished second, after a troublesome second half to his race. Lando Norris’ race was wobbly, but he ultimately managed to get from sixth position to a well-earned third place.
In the latter stages of the Grand Prix, the two Brits made for an entertaining fight with some near-miss moments while Lando tried to pass George.
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Technical problems all around
The Bahrain Grand Prix was marked by technical problems. Both the teams themselves and the broadcast encountered complications.
Mercedes and particularly George Russell were plagued with several electronic issues. This resulted in Russell’s DRS opening, when it was forbidden, after he pushed the team radio button. This resulted in the Brit being under investigation for the incident, but ultimately he didn’t get a penalty.
George Russell’s transponder also was a dominant problem in the latter stages of the race. This made it difficult for other teams to locate the British driver’s whereabouts on the circuit.
The F1 TV broadcasting system also had its fair share of issues during the Grand Prix. There were several problems with the timing sheets, which made the race sometimes difficult to keep track of.
Winners and losers
The Bahrain Grand Prix was a mix of different strategies that worked out, or not.
McLaren continued its strong performances this season with a 1-3, extending their lead in the constructors’ championship.
Mercedes’ weekend was relatively good, with a second place for George Russell. His young Italian rookie teammate, Kimi Antonelli, had a more rocky weekend. He ended up finishing eleventh.
Ferrari’s strategy was very remarkable. The Scuderia made a big gamble in the first stages of the race by keeping Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc out later after the first round of pit stops. This gamble, however, played out remarkably well for the Brit and the Monegasque. The fresher rubber made overtaking their rivals easier.
In the end, Leclerc finished a respectable fourth, while Hamilton scored his best ever position in a Grand Prix for Ferrari with fifth.
Red Bull had a mixed race. Max Verstappen complained several times during the race that his car was undrivable and not reacting in the way he wanted. The Dutchman ended up in sixth place. His new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished in ninth. The Japanese replaced Liam Lawson after the Kiwi had a disappointing run at the Red Bull squad. It is the first time this season that both Red Bulls end up in the points.
Both Alpine and Haas had relatively good races. Both teams had a driver scoring in the points. Pierre Gasly for Alpine finished in seventh, while Esteban Ocon finished in eighth. Both Frenchmen used to be teammates last year at Alpine.
Williams, Aston Martin and Kick Sauber F1 Team all didn’t manage to score points.
Next up: The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Text: Aagje Van Raemdonck
Photo: Samuel Phillips via Pexels