Piastri on pole in controversial Bahrain GP qualifying

The Australian was two-tenths faster than George Russell at the end of the three-part session with Charles Leclerc third.

Lando Norris could do no better than sixth in a disappointing session for the championship leader.

However, there was controversy when officials deleted a lap for Nico Hulkenberg 45 minutes after the fact.

The German was eliminated at the end of Qualifying 2, though it was the lap that saw him progress into that segment that was scrubbed.

It essentially meant the Sauber driver progressed when he should not have, at the expense of Alex Albon.

The incident raised critical questions of the FIA with no explanation immediately offered when contacted by Speedcafe.

The track remained over 30 degrees as the Qualifying hour began, though the air temperature had dipped into the mid-20s as the sun dropped.

Max Verstappen was the first of the meaningful runners to start a lap but pinched a brake into Turn 14 to skate wide on exit.

He elected not to complete the lap and instead dived into the pit lane as Yuki Tsunoda recorded a 1:32.096s – a time that would quickly be deleted for track limits.

Even before that happened, his time was bettered by Jack Doohan who logged a 1:31.919s.

The Alpine driver’s lap proved better than Lewis Hamilton’s, though Leclerc in the other Ferrari was able to pip the Aussie from top spot.

Next, Piastri and Norris flashed across the line, the pair rising to the top of the timesheets, though without the advantage they’d displayed during practice.

Following the first round of laps, Lance Stroll, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and the two Red Bull drivers were in the elimination zone, the latter two without a time.

Only Leclerc opted against running in the final minutes.

Hadjar rose to fifth fastest with his final lap, while Doohan impressive jumped to safety in third.

As the chequered flag waved, Liam Lawson was in danger in 14th as both Verstappen and Tsunoda were on track.

The New Zealander fell to 15th as Verstappen improved to third, and 16th as Tsunoda rose to 12th.

Lawson ultimately fell to 17th, hampered by a DRS issue on his final lap, behind Albon, the pair joined by Gabriel Bortoleto, Stroll, and Oliver Bearman.

Norris topped the session with Hamilton second best from Verstappen and Piastri, while Doohan was classified fifth at the end of Q1.

Shortly after Qualifying 2 began, the red flag was thrown for Esteban Ocon.

The Frenchman had a sizeable crash at the exit of Turn 3 on drivers’ left, ripping the rear wing from the Haas and damaging the left-rear corner.

He’d lost the rear of the car as he accelerated out of Turn 2, spinning and impacting the barrier with the rear end.

The clock stopped with 11 minutes remaining, and not a time on the board.

Unsurprisingly, it was busy when running resumed; Kimi Antonelli the first to log a time, a 1:31.178s.

Verstappen aborted his first lap as Norris went quicker than Antonelli, with Piastri quicker still.

With two minutes remaining, Verstappen, Hadjar, Ocon, Fernando Alonso, and Tsunoda were without a time and in the bottom five.

Ocon was a guaranteed elimination given his earlier crash, while Tsunoda went sixth best with his lap and Hadjar into eighth.

The track was clearly evolving as times improved, evidenced by Pierre Gasly popping up to third inside the final minute.

Verstappen wasn’t seeing quite the same benefit as he went seventh best, slipping to ninth at the chequered flag, one spot up from Tsunoda as both Red Bulls progressed into Qualifying 3 for the first time in 2025.

Missing out were Doohan, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Alonso, and Ocon.

Piastri ended the segment fastest, just over a tenth clear of Norris, with Gasly hanging on to third.

The early laps of Qualifying 3 saw Russell on provisional pole by more than a second over teammate Antonelli.

Hamilton and Leclerc filled the gap between the two Mercedes before Piastri moved himself onto provisional pole.

It left the McLaren driver just over a tenth clear of Russell, with Norris only good enough for third.

Meanwhile, Verstappen was complaining bitterly about the brakes in his Red Bull as he sat 10th after a mistake at Turn 4.

Midway through the Qualifying 3 segment, Hulkenberg controversially had a Qualifying 1 lap deleted in a development that should have seen Albon progress into Q2.

Hamilton and Antonelli also had times deleted, though theirs were laps in Q3, not for a lap completed 45 minutes early.

On his second attempt, Antonelli moved onto provisional pole until Russell went two-tenths faster to pip his Mercedes teammate.

Leclerc then split the pair as Gasly impressed to claim fourth.

That became fifth when Piastri shot to the top to claim his second F1 pole position as Norris slumped to sixth.

Verstappen went seventh fastest, then came Carlos Sainz, Hamilton, and Tsunoda.