Bahrain GP Qualifying: monster lap from Piastri! Russell joins Front Row, Leclerc in P3. Disaster for Norris: Only Sixth. Verstappen flops in seventh, Hamilton ninth
Bahrain GP Qualifying LIVE: Action from the Sakhir Circuit, the Fourth Round of the 2025 F1 Season. So far, it’s been McLaren domination with Norris and Piastri leading every Free Practice session, with Oscar Piastri especially dominant in FP3. Will Red Bull and Ferrari close the gap and fight for pole? Could Mercedes be a serious contender? Follow the LIVE coverage of Bahrain GP Qualifying.
F1 qualifying in Bahrain
Q3 Highlights
19:12 – POLE POSITION for Oscar Piastri! The Australian nails an incredible 1:29.841 to secure the top spot. Russell is just a tenth behind, with Leclerc taking third. Antonelli impresses with P4 in the second Mercedes. Norris struggles, down in sixth behind Gasly. Verstappen only manages P7, and Hamilton ends up ninth. Final Q3 results:
- Oscar Piastri 1:29:841
- George Russell 1:30:009
- Charles Leclerc 1:30:175
- Kimi Antonelli 1:30:213
- Pierre Gasly 1:30:216
- Lando Norris 1:30:267
- Max Verstappen 1:30:423
- Carlos Sainz 1:30:680
- Lewis Hamilton 1:30:772
- Yuki Tsunoda 1:31:303
19:07 – Everyone heads out for one final push, all on fresh soft tyres
19:05 – Lap times deleted for Hamilton and Antonelli due to track limits
19:03 – First flying laps are in: Piastri leads with a 1:30.233, Russell close behind. Norris slots into third, just 0.031s off Russell. Another mistake and aborted lap for Verstappen. Leclerc and Sainz both on used tyres – Leclerc fourth, Hamilton fifth but over a second off the pace
19:00 – First timed runs underway! Red Bulls and McLarens hit the track first
18:58 – GREEN LIGHT: Q3 is go at Sakhir! Contenders: the two McLarens, two Mercedes, two Ferraris, two Red Bulls, plus Sainz in the Williams and Gasly in the Alpine
Q2 Session Recap
18:50 – End of Q2: McLaren 1-2 again, with a stunning third from Gasly! Both Red Bulls narrowly scrape through in P9 and P10. Ferrari through safely, Leclerc P6 and Hamilton P8. Eliminated: Doohan (11th), Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Ocon
18:43 – First times in: Piastri fastest with 1:30.454, Norris just 0.106s behind. Leclerc third but six tenths off, Antonelli fourth. Russell only seventh. Verstappen and Hamilton abort their first flying laps
18:37 – GREEN LIGHT: Q2 resumes after red flag
18:29- 18:29 – RED FLAG: Big crash for Esteban Ocon in Turn 3. . The Haas driver loses the rear after riding the kerb too hard. Heavy rear damage, but Ocon is OK
18:27 – Q2 begins. Green light, cars back on track
Q1 Highlights
18:19- Norris tops the times, followed closely by Hamilton and Verstappen. Great effort from Doohan (P5) in the Alpine. Piastri slots in just behind. Leclerc seventh. Tsunoda and Hulkenberg make it through at the limit. Eliminated: Albon, Lawson, Bortoleto, Stroll, Bearman (P20 after a braking mistake).
18:11- Norris leads with 1:31.107, followed by Piastri (+0.285s) and Leclerc (+0.347s). Antonelli fourth, then Alonso, Doohan, and Russell. Lap time deleted for Tsunoda due to track limits; Verstappen aborts his lap.
18:08- The Dutchman returns to the pits. Waiting on Ferrari and McLaren to set times
18:05-Ocon reporting cockpit issues in the Haas. Red Bulls and Ferraris head out
18:00-GREEN LIGHT: Qualifying gets underway!
Photos: McLaren, Scuderia Ferrari HP, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team