Bahrain Grand Prix talking points: Flawless Oscar, Max flounders

Oscar Piastri produced a command efficiency on Sunday to ship McLaren’s first win on the Bahrain Grand Prix because the nocturnal desert dust-up joined the Components One calendar in 2004.

The Australian crossed the road in Sakhir over 15 seconds away from Mercedes’ George Russell to maneuver second behind team-mate Lando Norris within the drivers’ standings.

Norris accomplished the rostrum to take a 3 level lead into subsequent Sunday’s race in Jeddah.

Under, a take a look at three speaking factors from the fourth spherical of the season:

Oscar Pistari’s present

Oscar Piastri shone brightest beneath the floodlights in Bahrain to reinforce his standing as a possible world champion.

Cool, calm and picked up, nothing appears to faze the 24-year-old Australian.

As McLaren workforce principal Andrea Stella succinctly remarked: “There’s no noise in Oscar’s head”.

Dismissing the misfortune of a late run off within the season-opener in Melbourne that dropped him again from second to ninth he regrouped to win in China, take third in Japan, and win from pole in Bahrain.

“I’m very happy with the workforce, happy with myself, and excited for subsequent week,” he mentioned after his fourth profession win.

Piastri’s persona is poles other than that of the person on the opposite facet of the McLaren storage, Lando Norris.

The Briton wears his coronary heart on his sleeve, is extremely self-critical, and left Bahrain trying to find solutions to regain his and his automotive’s mojo.

“I’m not assured, I’m not comfy, I do know what I can obtain, it’s not gone, I’ve not misplaced it, however issues aren’t clicking. I’ve received to take a look at why however that’s proving to not be straightforward.”

Crimson Bull woes

Crimson Bull picked up their first double factors of the season in Sakhir, with Max Verstappen sixth and his new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda ninth.

However that was small comfort for a workforce in bother and desperately trying to find solutions to resolve points with their problematic 2025 automotive.

Group principal Christian Horner was frank concerning the scenario when he met the media within the workforce’s hospitality tent after the race.

“Look, it was a nasty weekend.

“It’s a 24-race championship, we’re 80 factors behind within the drivers’ championship, and we all know we have to make progress in a short time.”

With Verstappen slipping to 3rd within the drivers’ standings his quest for a fifth successive title, a feat solely achieved by Michael Schumacher, appears in peril.

“All the pieces went flawed, poor begin, wheel spin, similar issues in qualification, exhausting tyres didn’t work, I used to be final after the second pit cease,” remarked Verstappen.

“Contemplating the whole lot to complete sixth was alright.

“It’s not what we wish, nevertheless it’s the place we’re at.

“It’s powerful, received to hold on to enhance the scenario – hopefully we are able to enhance quickly,” added the downbeat Dutchman.

George Russell heroics

Arguably the driving force of the day was George Russell.

His Mercedes was doing the whole lot it might within the closing levels to sabotage his race.

He discovered himself having to multi-task at excessive velocity attempting to kind out a litany of digital points – at one stage he pressed the workforce radio button solely to interact DRS (drag discount system).

All that as he was heading off Norris.

After surviving a steward’s inquiry over the DRS incident which carried with it the specter of a five-second penalty Russell’s runner-up spot maintained his greatest ever begin to a season along with his third podium end.

“I’m mega completely satisfied, the final 10 laps had been exceptionally troublesome,” mentioned the person who has seamlessly taken over the function of workforce chief on the Silver Arrows after Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari.

Hamilton’s alternative Kimi Antonelli was going properly till undone by the late security automotive to complete simply outdoors the factors in a race which can function a worthwhile studying train for the sensible younger Italian rookie.