PIASTRI LEADS MCLAREN ONE-TWO IN BAHRAIN FP2 AS RIVALS STRUGGLE TO KEEP PACE

Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix as McLaren underlined their early dominance over Mercedes and Ferrari

Oscar Piastri on track during practice ahead of the F1 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix | McLaren F1 Team

Oscar Piastri delivered a statement of intent for McLaren by leading a commanding one-two in FP22 at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, with teammate Lando Norris close behind under the lights at the Bahrain International Circuit.

After a sweltering FP1 session distorted by daytime heat, cooler night-time conditions provided a clearer picture of the competitive order — and it was McLaren who emerged comfortably on top.

Piastri set the benchmark with a lap of 1:30.505 in FP2 on the soft tyres during the qualifying simulation runs, finishing 0.154s ahead of Norris, as the pair underlined the pace of the MCL39 around the Sakhir circuit, raising eyebrows among those at the Bahrain GP.

Russell best of the rest as Mercedes chase McLaren

Behind the dominant McLaren duo, George Russell placed third for Mercedes, over half a second adrift of Piastri’s pace-setting time. The W16 appeared strong on the straights but lost ground to McLaren in the higher downforce sections of the track.

Charles Leclerc led the charge for Ferrari, placing fourth with a 1:31.054, splitting the two Mercedes drivers as rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took fifth in a solid showing for the Brackley-based team.

The top 10 was rounded out by Isack Hadjar for Racing Bulls, who continued his impressive form after scoring his first Formula 1 points in Japan. Max Verstappen was seventh for Red Bull, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.

Youngster Oliver Bearman secured ninth place for Haas, while Carlos Sainz completed the top 10 for Williams.

Sparks fly behind Yuki Tsunoda during practice for the F1 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix | Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen and Red Bull play down Friday pace

While Red Bull’s times appeared underwhelming, Verstappen briefly topped the timesheets during the early running before being overhauled by the McLaren drivers. It remains likely that the team was running conservative engine settings, a common tactic on Friday practice sessions.

Teammate Yuki Tsunoda endured a challenging session, finishing 18th, although the true pace of the Red Bull RB20 is expected to become clearer in qualifying.

Elsewhere, early drama came from Fernando Alonso, who was forced to pit his Aston Martin after needing to re-attach his steering wheel mid-run — a rare sight even in Formula 1.

With second practice providing a more accurate glimpse of the pecking order, all eyes will now turn to FP3 and qualifying to see if McLaren can convert their early advantage into pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix

- John Smith