SAKHIR, Bahrain – Oscar Piastri delivered a sensational performance to snatch pole position for McLaren in a closely contested Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session on Saturday.
Lando Norris, the championship favourite, struggled to sixth place, giving his teammate a significant advantage in what is shaping up to be an internal McLaren battle for supremacy.
Piastri`s pole-winning lap was 1:29.841, a mere 0.1 seconds ahead of Mercedes` George Russell, who later dropped to third due to a penalty. Both Mercedes drivers received a one-place grid penalty for a pit lane incident.
Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc will now start on the front row alongside Piastri, benefiting from Russell`s demotion.
McLaren had shown impressive pace throughout practice and the initial qualifying segments, but the competition tightened during Q3, making it a nail-biting finish for the papaya team.
This marks Piastri`s second career pole and McLaren`s first ever pole position at the Bahrain International Circuit.
An elated Piastri commented, “I felt confident all weekend. FP1 was quite bumpy, but from then on, I felt really comfortable with the car. In FP3, our pace was strong, and while qualifying was closer than we anticipated, I managed to deliver when it counted, so I`m extremely happy.”
Norris, in contrast, seemed to falter on his final Q3 run. He ended up behind Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will start fifth after penalties, and Pierre Gasly of Alpine, who will begin from an impressive fourth.
When questioned about his struggles, Norris simply stated, “Honestly, no idea, just not quick enough.”
The general consensus within the paddock is that McLaren maintains a slight edge in race pace. Bahrain`s layout, known for its overtaking opportunities, might offer Norris a chance to recover positions on Sunday, but he faces a challenging climb through the field.
Further back, Max Verstappen, winner of the Japanese Grand Prix, could only manage seventh for Red Bull. However, Red Bull will take some encouragement from Yuki Tsunoda`s progression to Q3 and subsequent tenth-place start.
Lewis Hamilton had a Q3 lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and will start from ninth.
Haas driver Esteban Ocon caused a red flag after crashing at Turn 3, on the opposite side of the track from Romain Grosjean`s dramatic 2020 accident. Ocon escaped injury, but Haas faces a significant repair task before Sunday`s race.
