Bahrain GP: Martin Brundle Review “Imperial” victory Oscar Piastri, “in time” George Russell Drive in the middle of Max Verstappen F1 News

Bahrain gave us a great race again and placed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri as potentially popular for this year’s World Championship.

For the most part, Piastri gained a deficit of points from his unfortunate excursion and a lengthy challenge when he got his car from the wet grass, in his hometown in Melbourne, and continues to add peaceful confidence to his considerable speed.

From the outside, it is as if its pulse was at all times a line, and I can think of several drivers who can or can control their emotions and mind. Alain Prost, “Professor”, would be one.

Bahrain, the owners of the track, of course and most of the McLaren team, finally had to win at home after 21 years. This song was considered one of the less exciting places of the race, but moving to the evening race – at the same time when the hybrid cars arrived in 2014 – they transformed it.

The surface of the track has been remarkably down since 2004 and has not been ironed in a billiards, as is so much, so it has some bumps and character that tests cars and drivers, which is a good thing. The aggressive asphalt, which must tolerate extreme storms of heat and sand, also torture tires and throws a large variable.

This meant that all three tire compounds and many different ideas on how and when to use them entered the game. This was further complicated by the LAP-32 safety car to gather the debris that left Carlos Sainz damaged Williams.

It was the right decision of the race director, because the debris was very close to the racing line, but far from the trail, where the marshal had to be sent to collect it, even in the scenario of virtual security. It is better to gain packaging and control them as a real safety car.

Norris was supposed to be the second

Lando Norris had a difficult qualification and sorted the sixth, but would do a sensational start and fly the first four corners to immediately claim the third. The problem was that when trying to maximize its position as much as possible, it crossed it as much as possible and was just before its grid box and attracted a five -second sentence to serve at its first stop.

Sometimes I see the drivers out of the window of comments who are wasting the meter about such an opportunity in their grid box, which is impossible to see from the cockpit, and therefore a large side yellow line that will help them see them from the car.

Lando got on a security car to restart down to one between two Ferraris Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and lost. Ferraris overtaking would appear strongly in his race, but despite all this it was the pace of McLaren, which was supposed to be second.

George Russell in Mercedes patient had other ideas and was passing the basic braking and electrical problems brilliantly to get stuck. After a great start, it was certainly one of his best F1 discs. Also very topical when looking for a new contract with the team for 2026 and further, especially since Paddock says Max Verstappen is on the market.

Piastri was imperial before any challenges, and when Russell and Norris filled two more stage steps, Ferrari left the fourth and fifth. Both drivers were happier with the updated floor and stayed at cars. But despite the security car that closed the pack, Charles Leclerc was at the end of 20 seconds behind the winner and Lewis Hamilton 28 seconds Adrift.

Do not forget that by postponing their first PIT stop under 17, Ferraris very nicely in the next stage before the safety car deployment. However, it is necessary to do a lot of work to get Ferrari on the front and no doubt have a plan, but with races coming thick and fast, cost caps firmly on the spot and huge focus on dramatic changes of 2026, it is not easy nowadays.

Heavy conversations needed with Red Bull

Even the talent of Verstappen could not save the Red Bull from a turbulent weekend. The car looked like a handful of driving and was often seen how to slow down and turn from the key brake zones in all tracks. After watching Alpine Pierre Gasly for endless bikes, he was able to slip around the last circuit in the final stages and request a distant sixth place, did not help some lump stops with equipment problems.

Yuki Tsunoda would gain the first few points of Red Bull in ninth place, but since the team won the Japanese GP before, it’s all confusing – probably for them. There are some difficult conversations.

Gasly began the fourth and finished seventh for Alpine, but these hard facts are unable to prove how well he went in the qualification and race to claim his first points of the season.

I expected Williams to have a very strong weekend and at first it looked good, especially for Sainz starting well from the top 10 on the grid. He would get to several places assaulted, before heavy contact with Tsunoda and force Kimi Antonelli from the track to restart the safety car that not only was punished, but still had to retire.

Alex Albon finished 12th in his Williams, because any points that remained on the table of big weapons grabbed Haas with Esteban Ocon in the fine eighth and Ollie Bearman, who went from the back of the grid to a highly trustworthy 10. To emphasize that it really didn’t matter which tire component was on any car, if they were new, Ocon had a soft medicine strategy and Bearman was soft.

The relatively small Haas team is now fifth at the designers’ championship in front of teams, such as Aston Martin, who continued to fight terribly, with Fernando Alons still earned a single point. Ouch.

There were plenty of contacts and the resulting sanctions flying, the office of the administrators was busy and had to feel like the referee of the constantly blowing whistle. Their last task was to disqualify Sauber Nico Hulkenberg for having a too much worn album for the rules.

A little time to breathe, in a few days we are gone to a super fast circuit Jeddah.

Formula 1 completes its first triple header from 2025 in Jeddah with Saudi Arab Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract whenever cancel