F1: Oscar Piastri cruises to victory at Bahrain GP

Bahrain, April 13 (IANS) Oscar Piastri has won his second race of the 2025 Formula 1 season, and cut the gap in the Drivers Championship down to three points behind teammate Lando Norris, after delivering a commanding performance to win the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Australian not only celebrated victory in his 50th career Grand Prix but also secured McLaren’s first-ever triumph at the circuit, continuing his strong start to the season.

Starting from pole position, Piastri held off an aggressive move from George Russell, who locked up into Turn 1, but managed to keep the lead. From there, Piastri demonstrated calm control and consistent pace, gradually pulling away from the pack. Even when a mid-race Safety Car bunched the field back together, the McLaren driver didn’t falter, making a clean restart and rebuilding his lead with clinical precision. He eventually crossed the line with a dominant 15.5-second gap over Russell.

While Piastri led from the front, his teammate Lando Norris had a more dramatic evening. After receiving a five-second penalty for being out of position on the grid, Norris mounted a strong recovery drive. The Briton overtook Charles Leclerc in the closing stages and chased down Russell, finishing just 0.774s behind the Mercedes driver to claim third.

Leclerc settled for fourth after a late-race scrap with Norris, ahead of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton in fifth. Max Verstappen had a frustrating evening, experiencing delays in both pit stops before rallying to steal sixth place late in the race.

Alpine enjoyed their best result of the season so far, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Yuki Tsunoda claimed ninth for Red Bull, while Ollie Bearman added a valuable point for Haas in tenth.

Elsewhere, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed the points in P11, while Fernando Alonso endured a difficult race, finishing 16th. Carlos Sainz was the only retirement after contact with Tsunoda damaged his Williams.

With this win, Piastri solidifies his status as a true championship contender and gave McLaren significant momentum heading into the next round.

--IANS

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