Piastri Wins in Bahrain and Moves to Second in Driver Standings as Red Bull Struggles

Oscar Piastri secured his fourth win in Bahrain, finishing 12 second ahead of Russel in second place, with Norris in third. The Bahrain Grand Prix brought plenty of thrilling overtakes, midfield chaos, and a rough weekend for Red Bull that shook up the championship standings.

Piastri had a clean getaway from the line, with his teammate Lando Norris starting from sixth and quickly improved into third, only to receive a five-second penalty for a false start due to being out of position. 

In the midfield, the battles were intense, with a train of cars trading places throughout the race. Rookie Kimi Antonelli made a standout move with a late lunge on Sainz. Around lap 13, pit stops began, and Verstappen suffered a slow stop, when his pit release light stayed red. Teammate Tsunoda faced the same issue, costing Red Bull valuable time and positions–worsened by another slow stop later in the race.

Tsunoda and Sainz later made contact during a close battle, ripping off part of Sainz’s Williams bodywork and leaving debris at Turn 3, causing a safety car. 

The restart brought more action. Leclerc struggled to get going, opening a door for Norris to attempt a move into third. But Hamilton took advantage of Leclerc and Norris’s fight and snatched the position from Norris. Norris did briefly reclaim the place from Hamilton, however the move was off-track so he returned the position, only to reclaim it later with a slick overtake into fourth.

Russell dealt with transponder issues, while Sainz received a ten-second penalty for forcing a driver off-track, before retiring late in the race. Norris eventually overtook Leclerc on lap 52 allowing him to attack Russel, who was already 12 second behind the race lead, Piastri. Despite the pressure, Russel managed to hold onto second place, and Norris secured third. 

With Piastri taking the win and Verstappen finishing down in sixth, the drivers’ championship battle has taken a dramatic turn. Piastri now jumps ahead of Verstappen in the standings, sitting just three points behind current leader Lando Norris. 

Red Bull’s rough weekend cost them Verstappen’s second place in the drivers championship, as well as second place in the constructor championship, with Mercedes jumping into second. The loss of these valuable points has intensified the pressure within the team. 

All eyes now turn to Jeddah for the final showdown of this triple-header, where high speeds, narrow walls, and rising championship tension promise another thrilling race in this already electric season.