F1: McLaren’s Piastri wins Bahrain Grand Prix to spring into title frame – as it happened

News just in from the FIA: no penalty for the Mercedes driver in relation to what had been feared to have been a DRS infringement.

Second place therefore confirmed for Russell, and confirmation that the top of the standings read thusly:

Bahrain final result
1 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:35:39.435 25pts
2 George Russell (Mercedes) +15.499 18pts
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) +16.273 15pts
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +19.679 12pts
5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +27.993 10pts
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +34.395 8pts
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +36.002 6pts
8 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +44.244 4pts
9 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +45.061 2pts
10 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +47.593 1pt

Drivers standings
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 77pts
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 74
3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 69
4 George Russell (Mercedes) 63

Constructors
1 McLaren 151pts
2 Mercedes 93
3 Red Bull 71
4 Ferrari 57

The FIA have adjudicated on a few infringements … incidents involving Sainz (10sec penalty), Lawson (10sec) and Doohan (5sec).

In turn, they didn’t cross the line, crossed 17th and finished 13th, so no changes to today’s points to relay so far.

A brief intermission … while we await word on whether George Russell has cleared the watching eye of the stewards.

As things stand, the constructors’ standings are:

1 McLaren 151pts
2 Mercedes 93
3 Red Bull 71
4 Ferrari 57

Haas then lead the bottom six with 20pts. But will Mercedes’ tally take a hit?

Provisional drivers’ standings now read:

1 Norris (McLaren) 77pts
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 74
3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 69
4 George Russell (Mercedes) 63

The top four now have a decent cushion over fifth-placed Charles Leclerc (32pts) and Kimi Antonelli (30).

Second-placed Russell says …

It felt under control and then suddenly we had a brake-valve wire failure. Suddenly the pedal was going long, then it was going short – I didn’t know what was going on. The steering wheel wasn’t working properly so it was hard to keep Lando behind. I think one more lap and he would have got me very comfortably. But nevertheless, really pleased with P2.

Oscar was in a league of his own, congratulations to him and McLaren.

We knew they would be pretty extraordinary around this circuit, I was proven right.

Piastri speaks …

I would have preferred to not have had the safety car but I was still pretty confident, the pace was good and I was pretty confident I could get a good restart. I also knew that Lando [Norris] and I were the only ones with another medium [tyre] and that was the tyre to be on.

From that side of things it was relatively straightforward. Obviously, you try and get a good restart and you don’t know how it’s going to go but I was never going to let that one go.

Here’s your (provisional) top three in conversation after the race.

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Great scenes of celebration for Piastri right now.

It’s worth remembering that those final standings are all provisional and the positions of George Russell, Lando Norris and others could change pending penalties.

Let’s wait and see.

“Pretty special to do it in Bahrain, it’s been a long road to get here,” says Oscar Piastri on the radio.

“Flawless” is the praise he gets back from the engineer. Which is totally deserved. He’s been in a class of his own.

1. Piastri

2. Russell

3. Norris

4. Leclerc

5. Hamilton

6. Verstappen

7. Gasly

8. Ocon

9. Tsunoda

10. Bearman

11. Antonelli

12. Albon

13. Doohan

14. Hulkenberg

15. Hadjar

16. Alonso

17. Lawson

18. Stroll

19. Bortoleto

20. Sainz (retired)

Oscar Piastri led from the front, survived the chaos created by the safety car, and claims his second Grand Prix victory of the season. The Australian, in this rapid McLaren car, looks a good bet for the world championship this season.

George Russell hangs on for second and Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris settles for the final place on the podium.

We’ll run through all the standings in the next post.

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Last lap time! Russell is desperately trying to cling on with his soft tyres, under immense pressure from Norris. Piastri is headed for victory.

Lap 56/57: Norris continues to receive multiple warnings over the radio. Both he and Russell could be in trouble, come the end of this race. They are third and second respectively, at the moment, with Norris hunting down that second spot.

Lap 55/57: It seems like there have been all sorts of technical hitches today, some involving the cars, others involving the timing graphics … just everything.

Anyway, what do these final few laps have in store for us?

George Russell is going to be investigated after the race for an apparent DRS infringement. And now Lando Norris is on a final warning.

Eesh, I’m struggling to keep track of all these investigations, warnings and penalties. Who’d be a steward, eh?

Lap 52/57: Norris goes around the outside of Leclerc and he’s finally got the job done! That took a long while but the Briton is into a podium position. He’s fought like mad today.

Lap 51/57: Verstappen is almost within DRS range of Gasly, but as things stand the Red Bulls are going to finish seventh and ninth.

Credit must go to Ollie Bearman, who started 20th on the grid but is in line for 10th spot and some points.

If it stays like this, with Norris in fourth, Oscar Piastri will go top of the drivers’ championship.

Norris says Leclerc pushed him off the track in that most recent skirmish between the pair.

Into the final seven laps of this car race.

Lap 48/57: The stewards have been really busy today. Doohan is the latest who may have picked up an infringement.

Right, back to the racing. Leclerc v Norris remains a fascinating battle for third, while it appears Russell is trying to get to the chequered flag on soft tyres.

Lap 46/57: Sainz’s 10-point penalty means he’s going to retire the car. Race over for him. “We will come back stronger,” says the Williams engineer.

Looks like there may be another penalty heading the way of Antonelli.

Lap 45/57: Uh on, Carlos Sainz has been hit with a 10-second penalty for that aforementioned collision with Tsunoda. Having started the afternoon in the top 10, he’s going to be right at the back after that.

Norris is getting some help from DRS but he cannot get beyond the immovable Leclerc.

Lap 43/57: Russell’s had the softs on but it’s Piastri who has been able to extend his lead at the front (again), now stretching towards the two-second mark.

It seems like there’ll be an almighty scrap for the other two podium places … we’ll find out if we ever get the timing graphics back up.

Lap 42/57: Hamilton says “the car won’t turn”. Like his old rival Verstappen, Lewis hasn’t been a happy bunny today.

He’s still fifth and right in the mix for the points, mind you.

Lap 40/57: The graphics are having a bit of a shocker. Just now they were showing George Russell in P20. Pretty sure he’s still second, guys.

Lap 39/57: This feels like it’s set up for a big finish.

Sometimes, the appearance of the safety car can end up creating very interesting racing.

Oooft Kimi Antonelli seemed to come off the track just after that restart. He’s had an eventful race, the rookie, but finds himself down in P12.

Lap 36/57: Norris was so desperate to get beyond Leclerc that he left the door open for Lewis Hamilton to pass him! Russell is right on Piastri’s tail. Not a great restart for McLaren, but their race leader Piastri keeps his lead for now.

Almost into the 36th lap and the safety car has now gone. Time to get racing again.

George Russell, over to you! Piastri had a seven-second lead before the safety car came out … but he could be in danger now.

Lap 34/57: Looks like there was contact between Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz, which has likely prompted the appearance of the safety car.

Russell is on the softs, which he’s said on the radio is “audacious”.

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Lap 33/57: Absolutely everyone is piling into the pit lane. It’s like Piccadilly Circus in there at the moment.

Oh hang on, the safety car is out.

Let’s wait and see as to why. Many drivers might use this as an opportunity to pit. Piastri certainly does.

Lap 32/57: Norris had a problem with his red light staying on. But it’s gone off now, so clearly not a major issue.

Piastri extends his lead to nearly 7.5 seconds.

Lap 30/57: More than half this race is done now.

Verstappen has been busy slaloming his way up the field from the back.

Lap 29/57: Antonelli has also pitted for a second time and comes out of the lane into some serious traffic. He’s going to have to negotiate his way beyond Stroll, Lawson and a couple of others. Which he has, to be fair. He’s now P15.

Lap 28/57: Verstappen wasn’t happy with a few things … he’s just had a quick pit to swap for the mediums. Let’s see if the situation improves for him now. He’s P20 as things stand, having pitted twice.

Piastri is more than six seconds clear at the front now. Barring something completely extraordinary, he’s going to win his second Grand Prix of the year.

Lap 26/57: Both Ferraris have conjured some pace of out somewhere. Hamilton sneaks past Ocon and into the top six.

Lap 25/57: Hang on, what’s going on here? Leclerc is giving Norris a run for his money in a fierce battle for third. And he’s past him! Superb from the Ferrari driver.

Norris is trying to fight back …

Lap 23/57: You already get the sense this isn’t going to be Max Verstappen’s day. He’s already aired a number of frustrations on the Red Bull radio.

“I can’t even brake anymore. It’s just ridiculous.”

He’s down to ninth, with teammate Tsunoda 11th.