McLaren’s Oscar Piastri pips George Russell to pole at Bahrain Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon crashes heavily

• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will start on pole in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix
• Piastri pipped George Russell to pole, while Charles Leclerc was third fastest
• Saturday’s session witnessed a serious crash involving Esteban Ocon during Q2

By JONATHAN MCEVOY IN BAHRAIN

Oscar Piastri took pole position under lights in Bahrain, setting McLaren up for their first win on ‘home’ asphalt.

It was only ever meant to be a matter of which of the papaya-coloured cars set the fastest time.

They were supposed to be a class apart from the rest of the field, and only a serious error would have denied them the front two spots for the race here on Sunday.

Yet while Piastri took the second pole of his career, his garage-mate Lando Norris messed up the first sector of his final flying lap and was only sixth best for the British team owned by the Bahraini royal family.

George Russell, Mercedes’s Mr Fast as well as Mr Dependable, qualified second quickest – outstanding, only seven-hundredths off the pace. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, Kimi Antonelli fourth for Mercedes and Pierre Gasly fifth for Alpine.

Oscar Piastri will start on pole in the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix after being fastest in qualifying

Australian Piastri pictured walking in the paddock before his pole-securing drive on Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes’s Mr Fast as well as Mr Dependable, qualified second quickest

Esteban Ocon crashed during Q2 before his Haas car was removed from the track by a crane

Ocon (right) escaped without any serious injury, but the Frenchman’s Haas car was a mess

Max Verstappen, who won the last two races in Bahrain, was in all sorts of trouble, in qualifying seventh for Red Bull. ‘There’s something really wrong with my car,’ complained the four-time world champion. ‘My brakes are terrible. I can’t brake.’

Lewis Hamilton qualified ninth for Ferrari, six-tenths behind Leclerc.

Elsewhere, Esteban Ocon crashed out at Turn 2 in Q2. The Frenchman veered off and careered into the barrier. He was slow to get out of the car but was unhurt as a red flag delayed proceedings while his Haas was cleared away.

British teenager Ollie Bearman, in the other Haas, was last of the qualifiers, while London-born Thai Alex Albon went out in Q1 for the first time this season after an impressive start for Williams. He will start 15th.

:
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri pips George Russell to pole at Bahrain Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon crashes heavily

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk