Piastri takes pole on a hot night in Sakhir

Oscar Piastri took the second pole position of his career, his second in a row no less, having been quickest at Suzuka a week ago. The Australian was the only driver to get under the 1’30” barrier with a time of 1’29”841, but that was still over half a second off last year’s pole time, 0”662 to be precise, which shows how much this weekend’s higher temperatures compared to 2024, are affecting performance.

Because of a one place grid penalty given to both Mercedes drivers, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start alongside Piastri, having been third quickest in qualifying in 1’30”175. Russell (1’30”009) now moves back to the second row, alongside Pierre Gasly (1’30”216) in the Alpine, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1’30”213) is fifth on the grid.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Piastri by DJ and record producer, R3HAB. His highest ranking in the Top100DJs list is a twelfth place thanks to his collaborations with world famous artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. On Friday night, he entertained the crowd at the Bahrain International Circuit with his DJ set.

THE DAY ON TRACK

During Free Practice 3, a further five drivers used a set of Hards, leaving Verstappen as the only driver not to have tried the C1 this weekend. In qualifying, all drivers used the C3, which in these conditions and on this track surface produced their maximum performance on the first flying laps, without any possibility of recovering.

In terms of the usage of dry weather compounds, the pattern this weekend has been slightly unusual compared to the norm, with many different choices, even if not yet officially confirmed: eleven drivers have two sets of Mediums and one set of Hards available, eight have one each of the Medium and Hard and Verstappen is the only driver to have two sets of Hard and one of Medium.

MARIO ISOLA – PIRELLI DIRECTOR OF MOTORSPORT

“We saw a far more uncertain and closely contested session than had been expected, proving just how unpredictable Formula 1 can be at times. From a race strategy perspective, the picture is actually more complex than it might seem at first glance.

“The first points is that all three tyre compounds can come into play and although a one-stop is clearly slower on paper, it cannot be ruled out completely, especially as eleven drivers have one new set of each of the Hard and Medium. This group might consider starting on the Mediums and extending the first stint as much as possible, before switching to the Hards. If there is excessive degradation in the closing stages of the race then, switching to Softs, even new ones for those who did not take part in all three qualifying sessions, could offer a performance advantage, with no need for further stops.

“For a two-stop strategy, on paper the fastest route involves using two sets of Mediums and one of Hards, with pit stop windows between laps 14 and 20 and then again between laps 34 and 40. Those who want to make the most of having extra grip from the Soft for the start will need to pit earlier, between laps 10 and 16 to make the most of the potential undercut advantage, which is very effective at this track. Finally, there’s the option to use all three compounds, for example for those who only have one new set each of the Hard and Medium available.”

FORMULA 2

Excitement all the way to the flag in the Formula 2 Sprint Race. The win went to Spain’s Josep Maria Marti (Campos Racing) who produced an amazing driver to come through from 11^th on the grid. The top three finishing order was only decided on the last lap with a wheel to wheel battles between Martí, Dutchman Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport), Paraguayan Joshua Dürksen (AIX Racing), and Swede Dino Beganovic (Hitech TGR), who crossed the finish line in that order.

In terms of tyre strategy, most drivers decided to start on the Option compound and it proved to be the right choice, because with good tyre management in the early stages, drivers still had good performance available in the closing laps. A late safety car saw several drives change tyres, both those who had started on the Prime and drivers further down the order, leading to a rush of battles for position.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 Sprint was also spectacular, with the Bulgarian Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing) taking the win ahead of two rookies, the English driver Freddie Slater (AIX Racing) second, and Finland’s Tukka Taponen (ART Grand Prix) third. The race was affected by a few safety cars, but it was closely contested and the outcome was only decided in the final metres, when Tsolov managed to defend the lead he had taken off Slater at the final restart.

In terms of the tyres, the race was run in extreme conditions, with track temperatures exceeding 50 °C. It was a very close race with the 23 drivers all crossing the finish line covered by just 17”. Those who did the best job of managing tyre overheating were able to exploit the remaining grip at the end and make up places.

Automobile Magazine