McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on pole for Bahrain GP, his 50th F1 start

McLaren's Oscar Piastri celebrates after qualifying in pole position. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Apr 13, 2025, 03:14 AM

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SAKHIR, Bahrain - Oscar Piastri piled the pressure on McLaren teammate Lando Norris by taking pole position in Bahrain on April 12 for his 50th Formula One race, with the championship leader qualifying only sixth.

Surprised Mercedes rival George Russell joined the Australian on the front row at the floodlit Sakhir desert circuit while a dejected Norris said he had been simply “clueless”.

The only positive for Norris was having closest rival and defending four-times world champion Max Verstappen end up in seventh place for Red Bull at a track where he was utterly dominant in 2024.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third and Mercedes’ Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli fourth with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly fifth.

Piastri, who was also fastest in two out of three practice sessions, lapped with a best time of one minute 29.841 seconds, 0.168 faster than Russell. The pole was his second of the season and of his career.

“I’ve felt confident out there pretty much all weekend,” said Piastri, who is 13 points adrift of Norris in the standings and third overall. Norris leads Verstappen by just one after three races.