Bahrain confirmed McLaren’s stellar form and Red Bull’s struggles. Piastri claimed the first hat-trick of his career, Norris extended his podium streak, and for the first time since 2009, a customer team sits first and second in the championship. Ferrari continued to shine in the pit stops, Russell matched his personal best, and Verstappen slipped down the standings. Here are the most interesting stats from the Bahrain GP.
First hat-trick for Piastri, McLaren reigns in Bahrain
Oscar Piastri clinched his first Formula 1 hat-trick (pole position, race win, and fastest lap), becoming the 49th driver in history to achieve the feat. The Australian is also the only driver this season with more than one pole and one victory. With its maiden win in Bahrain, McLaren now counts 3 victories, 7 podiums, and 151 points out of a possible 187 (80.75%): it’s the team’s best season start since 2007 in terms of podiums, since 1998 for wins, and since 1988 for points percentage.
Norris always on the podium, McLaren leads by the numbers too
Lando Norris secured the 30th podium of his career, matching Juan Pablo Montoya for 37th on the all-time list. The number 4 is also the first McLaren driver to score four consecutive podiums in the opening four races since Hamilton’s debut season in 2007. With 132 Grands Prix for the team, Norris has now surpassed Hakkinen (131) and stands third in McLaren history, behind only Coulthard (150) and Button (136). Thanks to his and Piastri’s performances, McLaren has become the first customer team with both drivers leading the championship standings since Brawn GP in 2009.
Russell Mr Consistency, Mercedes reaches new heights
George Russell wrapped up his 14th consecutive points-scoring weekend — the longest streak of his career — and secured his ninth straight top-5 finish, matching his best run from Bahrain to Canada in 2022.
Ferrari flawless in the pits, but out of the spotlight
The Scuderia from Maranello recorded the fastest pit stop for the fourth consecutive weekend, maintaining its position as the quickest in the pits at the start of the season. However, on track, it wasn’t a memorable weekend: neither Ferrari driver made it to the podium for the fourth race in a row since the start of the season, marking the first time this has happened since 2021.
Verstappen on the decline, but Red Bull finds its number 2 driver again
Max Verstappen had a challenging weekend: he qualified only seventh (his worst result in Bahrain since 2018) and, for the first time since April 6, 2022, is not in the top two of the championship standings. However, there is a silver lining: for the first time this season, both Red Bull drivers made it into the top 10 in both qualifying and the race. Tsunoda, who finished ninth, was only three positions behind Verstappen — the narrowest gap between them since last year’s Italian GP, 12 races ago.
Alpine shines with Gasly, Williams scores points again in Bahrain
Pierre Gasly surprised everyone with an impressive fourth-place qualifying result, marking Alpine’s best performance in Bahrain since 2006, when Fernando Alonso won the race (under the Renault name). Williams also ended a significant drought: thanks to Carlos Sainz’s eighth-place qualifying result, the team started in the top 10 in Bahrain for the first time since 2017.
Everyone scores points: a championship more open than ever
After four races, every team on the grid has already scored at least 6 points — the first time in F1 history. This is a clear sign of the competitiveness of the current championship, where even the lower-ranking teams are managing to find their way into the points zone.
Stroll and Magnussen share an unenviable record
Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q1, tying Kevin Magnussen at the top of the list for most first-round qualifying exits, with 74 for both drivers.
Photo: F1 media
