Piastri records McLaren’s first-ever Bahrain pole, Gasly records his team’s best Bahrain qualifying result since 2006 and Albon is out-qualified for only the fourth time his tenure at Williams. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix!
PIASTRI ON POLE AT THE 2025 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, taking pole for the second time in his career. He became the 75th driver to secure multiple pole positions in Formula 1.
Piastri recorded McLaren’s first-ever pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team had qualified on the front row at Bahrain International Circuit only twice previously, in 2007 and 2012.
Piastri is now the only driver to have qualified in the top three at every race so far in 2025.
This was the first time Piastri qualified in the top seven at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP TEN
George Russell qualified on the front row for the second time in 2025, having also qualified on the front row at the Chinese Grand Prix. He is one of only two drivers – along with Oscar Piastri – who is yet to qualify outside of the top five at any race this year.
After qualifying on the front row, Russell was demoted one position on the grid and will start third – the same position as he started in 2024.
Charles Leclerc recorded his best qualifying result of the season to date, qualifying third for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli recorded his best qualifying result to date with fourth place, qualifying in the top five for the first time in his career. He was later demoted to fifth on the grid.
Pierre Gasly unexpectedly recorded a top five qualifying result at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. This was Gasly’s third top six qualifying result in the last seven races and his best qualifying result since qualifying third at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Gasly was promoted to fourth on the grid. It follows two consecutive seasons in which he started 20th for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Fifth place matched Gasly’s best qualifying result to date in Bahrain, while fourth on the grid is a new personal best for the Frenchman at the event.
Gasly’s fifth place marked the best qualifying result for the Enstone-based team at the Bahrain Grand Prix since Fernando Alonso qualified fourth with Renault in 2006.
Lando Norris qualified sixth for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, marking the first time he has qualified outside of the top three on the grid since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
This was the first time since 2021 that Norris was out-qualified by his team-mate at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sixth place is Norris’ best qualifying result to date at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
With Piastri on pole and Norris sixth, both McLaren drivers qualified in the top six for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. The team had recorded just a single top six qualification in the previous 13 Bahrain races.
With both Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda progressing to Q3, Red Bull recorded their first double Q3 appearance of 2025.
Qualifying seventh, Max Verstappen recorded his worst qualifying result of the season to date. This is only the second time in the last 12 races that Verstappen has qualified outside of the top six positions.
This was the first time since his Q2 exit in 2018 that Verstappen failed to qualify in the top five in Bahrain as well as the first time since 2019 that he qualified outside of the top three.
Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first time in his career.
Carlos Sainz reached Q3 for the second time this season and recorded his best qualifying result of the year so far with eighth place.
Sainz out-qualified Alex Albon for the first time during their time as Williams team-mates.
Sainz became the first Williams driver to reach Q3 in Bahrain since Felipe Massa at the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix. This marked the first time since the start of the 2017 season that Williams appeared in Q3 at as many as four races in a row.
This was the first time since the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020 that Sainz out-qualified his team-mate at Bahrain International Circuit.
With ninth place, Lewis Hamilton recorded his worst qualifying result of the season to date at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.
This is the second year in a row that Hamilton has qualified ninth for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton maintained his 100% Q3 appearance record in Bahrain, while Kimi Antonelli joined Hamilton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Christian Klien and Paul di Resta in the group of drivers who’ve reached Q3 on every appearance at the venue.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
Jack Doohan recorded the best qualifying result of his career to date with 11th place. Doohan missed out on a place in Q3 by only 0.017 seconds.
Qualifying 12th for the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar recorded the worst qualifying result of his career to date, ending a streak of two Q3 appearances.
Fernando Alonso qualified 13th for the third race weekend in a row. It was his fourth consecutive Q2 exit.
This was the first time since 2018 that Alonso did not reach Q3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon qualified 15th after crashing out in the early stages of Q2. This was the first time since 2021 that neither Haas driver reached Q3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg was eliminated in Q2, recording his fifth Q2 elimination in Bahrain. He equalled Sergio Perez and Alex Albon for the most Q2 exits at Bahrain International Circuit.
OUT IN Q1
Alex Albon failed to reach Q3 for the first time in 2025 and exited in Q1. This was Albon’s first Q1 exit in his seven appearances at Bahrain International Circuit.
On all of the last three occasions that Albon has not reached Q3, Albon has exited in Q1 and set the 16th fastest lap time in the session.
This was only the fourth time since joining Williams at the start of the 2022 season that Albon has been out-qualified by his team-mate.
Gabriel Bortoleto exited in Q1 for a third consecutive race – the longest active streak of Q1 exits from the current 20 drivers.
Lance Stroll qualified 19th and recorded his 74th Q1 exit, equalling Kevin Magnussen for the most Q1 exits since the current qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
Stroll qualified on the back row for a second consecutive race weekend, recording his first successive Q1 exits since the 2023 United States and Mexico City Grands Prix.
Ollie Bearman qualified 20th for the second time this season, having last done so at the Australian Grand Prix.
This was the third time that a Haas driver has set the 20th fastest time in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, after 2017 and 2021.
Haas and Sauber are the only teams who’ve recorded at least one Q1 exit at all four Grand Prix weekends so far in 2025.
