The 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Thread

[cmlean]

This is the place to discuss everything related to the 4th round of the 2025 season taking place in Bahrain between the 11th and 13th of April.

The event timetable for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Friday
1st Practice 14:30 local time - 11:30 GMT
2nd Practice 18:00 local time - 15:00 GMT

Saturday
Practice 15:30 local time - 12:30 GMT
Qualifying 19:00 local time - 16:00 GMT

Sunday
Race 18:00 local time - 15:00 GMT

[cmlean]

FP1

Code: Select all

Pos	Time		Driver		  Team
1	1:33.204	Lando Norris	  McLaren
2	1:33.442	Pierre Gasly	  Alpine
3	1:33.800	Lewis Hamilton	  Ferrari
4	1:33.928	Alexander Albon	  Williams
5	1:34.184	Esteban Ocon	  Haas
6	1:34.262	Nico Hulkenberg	  Sauber
7	1:34.396	Jack Doohan	  Alpine
8	1:34.397	Liam Lawson	  Racing Bulls
9	1:34.484	Yuki Tsunoda	  Red Bull Racing
10	1:34.508	Oscar Piastri	  McLaren
11	1:34.628	Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber
12	1:34.667	Isack Hadjar	  Racing Bulls
13	1:34.885	Luke Browning	  Williams
14	1:35.055	Dino Beganovic	  Ferrari
15	1:35.116	Lance Stroll	  Aston Martin
16	1:35.198	Felipe Drugovich  Aston Martin
17	1:35.261	Ryo Hirakawa	  Haas
18	1:35.325	Frederik Vesti	  Mercedes
19	1:35.475	Ayumu Iwasa	  Red Bull Racing
20	1:38.051	Kimi Antonelli	  Mercedes

[cmlean]

6 teams took the opportunity to run rookie drivers in this first session.
Kimi Antonelli had a water leak which limited his running to just 3 laps.
As expected, it was extremely hot and times reflected to conditions.

[cmlean]

FP2

Code: Select all

Pos	Time		Driver		  Team
1	1:30.505	Oscar Piastri	  McLaren
2	1:30.659	Lando Norris	  McLaren
3	1:31.032	George Russell	  Mercedes
4	1:31.045	Charles Leclerc	  Ferrari
5	1:31.227	Kimi Antonelli	  Mercedes
6	1:31.238	Isack Hadjar	  Racing Bulls
7	1:31.330	Max Verstappen	  Red Bull Racing
8	1:31.576	Lewis Hamilton	  Ferrari
9	1:31.584	Oliver Bearman	  Haas
10	1:31.623	Carlos Sainz	  Williams
11	1:31.696	Alexander Albon	  Williams
12	1:31.706	Liam Lawson	  Racing Bulls
13	1:31.772	Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber
14	1:31.788	Jack Doohan	  Alpine Renault
15	1:31.825	Fernando Alonso	  Aston Martin
16	1:31.870	Esteban Ocon	  Haas
17	1:31.947	Pierre Gasly	  Alpine Renault
18	1:32.024	Yuki Tsunoda	  Red Bull Racing
19	1:32.382	Lance Stroll	  Aston Martin
20	1:32.496	Nico Hulkenberg	  Sauber

[cmlean]

With the conditions indicative of the expected race conditions, the big teams came out to play.
Both McLarens were immediately on the pace as were both the Mercedes. Impressive considering Kimi Antonelli missed most of the first session.
Isack Hadjar continues to impress in the Racing Bull.

[cmlean]

FP3

Code: Select all

Pos	Time		Driver		  Team
1	1:31.646	Oscar Piastri	  McLaren
2	1:32.314	Lando Norris	  McLaren
3	1:32.480	Charles Leclerc	  Ferrari
4	1:32.827	George Russell	  Mercedes
5	1:32.916	Kimi Antonelli	  Mercedes
6	1:32.974	Pierre Gasly	  Alpine
7	1:33.023	Isack Hadjar	  Racing Bulls
8	1:33.027	Max Verstappen	  Red Bull Racing
9	1:33.092	Carlos Sainz	  Williams
10	1:33.111	Lewis Hamilton	  Ferrari
11	1:33.240	Esteban Ocon	  Haas
12	1:33.347	Jack Doohan	  Alpine
13	1:33.370	Liam Lawson	  Racing Bulls
14	1:33.548	Fernando Alonso	  Aston Martin
15	1:33.753	Alexander Albon	  Williams
16	1:34.335	Oliver Bearman	  Haas
17	1:34.363	Lance Stroll	  Aston Martin
18	1:34.518	Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber
19	1:34.636	Nico Hulkenberg	  Sauber
20	1:34.965	Yuki Tsunoda	  Red Bull Racing

[cmlean]

Again, the afternoon was stinking hot and teams took their time in getting onto the track.
Initial times were slow with improvements as the temperature dropped.

[cmlean]

Qualifying

Code: Select all

Pos	Time		Driver		  Team
1	1:29.841	Oscar Piastri	  McLaren
2	1:30.009	George Russell	  Mercedes
3	1:30.175	Charles Leclerc	  Ferrari
4	1:30.213	Kimi Antonelli	  Mercedes
5	1:30.216	Pierre Gasly	  Alpine
6	1:30.267	Lando Norris	  McLaren
7	1:30.423	Max Verstappen	  Red Bull Racing
8	1:30.680	Carlos Sainz	  Williams
9	1:30.772	Lewis Hamilton	  Ferrari
10	1:31.303	Yuki Tsunoda	  Red Bull Racing
_________________________________________________________
11	1:31.245	Jack Doohan	  Alpine
12	1:31.271	Isack Hadjar	  Racing Bulls
13	1:31.886	Fernando Alonso	  Aston Martin
14	No Time		Esteban Ocon	  Haas
_________________________________________________________
15	1:32.040	Alexander Albon	  Williams
16	1:32.067	Nico Hulkenberg	  Sauber
17	1:32.165	Liam Lawson	  Racing Bulls
18	1:32.186	Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber
19	1:32.283	Lance Stroll	  Aston Martin
20	1:32.373	Oliver Bearman	  Haas

[cmlean]

Q1 and Alex Albon missed making it through to Q2 by about a half a second. He, Lawson, Borteleto, Stroll and Bearman all failed to progress.
Q2 commenced and, inside the first minutes, Esteban Ocon crashed his Haas exiting turn 2 and brought out the red flags.
Doohan, Hadjar, Hulkenberg and Alonso didn't make the ten and were eliminated.
Q3 and Hamilton, Verstappen, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg all had times deleted. Hulkenberg's time was from Q1 which then denied Albon the chance of progressing to the next stage.
The Mercedes duo laid down times followed by Leclerc. Piastri was next to cross the line to take pole while Norris had an error on his final run.

[cmlean]

Race

Code: Select all

Pos	Driver		  Team
1	Oscar Piastri	  McLaren
2	George Russell	  Mercedes
3	Lando Norris	  McLaren
4	Charles Leclerc	  Ferrari
5	Lewis Hamilton	  Ferrari
6	Max Verstappen	  Red Bull Racing
7	Pierre Gasly	  Alpine
8	Esteban Ocon	  Haas
9	Yuki Tsunoda	  Red Bull Racing
10	Oliver Bearman	  Haas
11	Kimi Antonelli	  Mercedes
12	Alexander Albon	  Williams
13	Isack Hadjar	  Racing Bulls
14	Jack Doohan	  Alpine
15	Fernando Alonso	  Aston Martin
16	Liam Lawson	  Racing Bulls
17	Lance Stroll	  Aston Martin
18	Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber
DNF	Carlos Sainz	  Williams
DSQ	Nico Hulkenberg	  Sauber

Next: Round of Saudi Arabia '25
Date: 18th-20th April 2025

[cmlean]

Well, I don't know who had the must fun out there.
Oscar Piastri controlling the race from the front or the stewards handing out penalties.

Piastri did what he had to do. Qualify on pole, get into the first corner in front then control the race.
The opposite could be said for team mate, Lando Norris. He was behind the 8 ball only qualifying in 6th. He did get a great start managing in a battle for third only to be shuffled back a bit through an ambitious move that didn't come off. That and the 5 second penalty for starting ahead of his grid box that was taken at his first stop.
George Russell was having a quiet race in second until his electrics had a meltdown leaving him with little information on his dash, brakes that came and went and other electrical gremlins. That and trying to stretch a set of soft tyres 24 laps to the end of the race. It was quite an achievement holding off Lando Norris in the latter stages of the Grand Prix.
Ferrari's came home in 4th and 5th with Max picking off Pierre Gasly on the last lap to steal 6th.