McLaren triumphs in Bahrain: Piatri fetches Pole, Verstappen weakens!

McLaren triumphs in Bahrain: Piatri fetches Pole, Verstappen weakens!

The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain is characterized by a dominant performance of the McLaren team. On April 12, 2025, Oscar Piatri won the pole position with an impressive time of 1: 30,454 and thus prevailed against George Russell from Mercedes by 0.168 seconds. The qualifications took place under exciting conditions and McLaren showed his strength again after they could start up in Australia at the start of the season. The team made these services a favorite role for the race that starts on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

The second series of start is occupied by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who qualified with three and four. Lando Norris follows fifth, who was just behind Pierre Gasly. Max Verstappen, who had to deal with braking problems in the first phase of qualifying, only took seventh place and had a gap of 0.582 seconds.

qualifying special features and accidents

Qualifying was shaped by an interruption when Esteban Ocon had an accident in Q2. The driver lost control of his Haas car in curve two and crashed into the barriers. After recovering his vehicle, the route was released again, but only 11 minutes left for the drivers to secure their pole position qualification. This led to intensive lap times, with McLaren developed a clear lead of about half a second in front of the pursuers.

Despite the crisis around Ocon, the McLaren drivers-especially Piatri and Norris-found the right rhythm. Norris was only a tenth of a second slower than Piatri and both presented a strong performance. In the second half of the season, Russell and Antonelli won their places four and five, closely followed by Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton and Verstappen.

McLaren's dominance and technical progress

The outstanding performance of McLaren is not only a result of the driver potential, but also due to technical progress in vehicle design. According to the technical director Neil Houldey, the team has implemented advantageous changes compared to the competition without specific adjustments between the seasons. These improvements in areas such as aerodynamics, suspension and rigidity have contributed to a constant tire performance both in qualifying and in the race.

Although it is currently unclear whether McLaren's superiority is a recurring pattern for the upcoming races, one thing is certain: the other teams, including Red Bull and Mercedes, had to push a lot to keep up, which led to tire overheating at Verstappen in Bahrain. With such a promising appearance in qualifying, McLaren will go into the race with a lot of self -confidence, while the competition has to be reoriented strategically.

Overall, the Bahrain Grand Prix shows that McLaren is a force to consider this season. The combination of talented drivers, robust technology and strategic thinking could be the key to a successful race.