Oscar Piastri completed a flawless victory as George Russell held off Lando Norris for second at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Piastri led from lights to flag to finish 15 seconds clear of Mercedes’ Russell, despite having had a seven-second lead erased midway through a frenetic race by a Safety Car period.

Norris, whose advantage over his team-mate Piastri at the top of the world championship was reduced to three points, passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing stages to claim a podium after a hugely eventful evening from sixth on the grid.

A first win for the Bahrain-owned McLaren at their ‘second home race’ could still become a one-two, with Russell facing a post-race investigation for a DRS infringement as several technical elements on his car appeared to fail during the closing laps.

Leclerc paid the price for a poor start from second on the grid as he was left to settle for fourth, but his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a more positive afternoon as he gained four positions to claim fifth.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen ended a highly frustrating afternoon, which included two rare slow Red Bull pit stops, on a positive note as he passed Alpine’s Pierre Gasly for sixth on the final lap.

Verstappen’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda scored his first points for the team in ninth, finishing between Haas duo Esteban Ocon (P8) and Oliver Bearman (P10), who delivered a remarkable result for the team by gaining 16 places between them.

More to follow…

Formula 1 completes its first triple-header of 2025 in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime