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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Bahrain Grand Prix 2025: Qualifying results as Oscar Piastri storms to pole position

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri takes pole position; George Russell and Kimi Antonelli hit with one-place grid penalties

F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Qualifying
F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Qualifying
Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mark Schofield
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.

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:

Bahrain Grand Prix Provisional Grid

Row

Position

Driver

Team

Position

Driver

Team

Row 11Oscar PiastriMcLaren2Charles LeclercFerrari
Row 23George RussellMercedes4Pierre GaslyAlpine
Row 35Kimi AntonelliMercedes6Lando NorrisMcLaren
Row 47Max VerstappenRed Bull8Carlos Sainz Jr.Williams
Row 59Lewis HamiltonFerrari10Yuki TsunodaRed Bull
Row 611Jack DoohanAlpine12Isack HadjarVCARB
Row 713Fernando AlonsoAston Martin14Esteban OconHaas
Row 815Alex AlbonWilliams16Nico HülkenbergSauber
Row 917Liam LawsonVCARB18Gabriel BortoletoSauber
Row 1019Lance StrollAston Martin20Oliver Bearman Haas
See More:

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