F1 Qualifying Results: Verstappen suffers devastating session as championship leader stunned

Championship leader Lando Norris will start the Bahrain Grand Prix all the way down in sixth on the grid after a hugely disappointing qualifying session, just a single spot ahead of title rival Max Verstappen.

Oscar Piastri put in a brilliant late lap to snatch pole away from the stunningly fast George Russell, with that pair followed on the second row by Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli respectively.

However, Mercedes were handed a late grid penalty after a major pit-lane blunder dropping Russell down to P3 and Antonelli down to P5.

Liam Lawson was knocked out in the first part of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the slowest of the four Red Bull affiliated drivers.

Q2 started with a bang, with Esteban Ocon losing control of his Haas at high speed and slamming into the wall to bring out a red flag and pause the session while they retrieved his stricken car.

The Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda both struggled throughout the hour of qualifying, turning ninth and tenth in Q2 into just seventh and tenth in Q3 for grid position.

Lewis Hamilton, who was very apologetic to his team, struggled badly for Ferrari, and only placed ninth six tenths behind team-mate Leclerc.

Neither recorded official times on their first runs in FP1, burning an extra pair of soft tyres as the former abandoned his lap after understeering off the track, while the former had his first lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.

F1 Qualifying Results: Bahrain Grand Prix 2025

1. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - 1:29.841sec
2 Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +0.334sec
3. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.168sec*
4. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +0.375sec
5. Kimi Antonelli [Mercedes] - +0.372sec*
6. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +0.426sec
7. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +0.582sec
8. Carlos Sainz [Williams] - +0.839sec
9. Lewis Hamilton [Ferrari] - +0.931sec
10. Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull] - +1.462sec

* George Russell and Kimi Antonelli handed one-place grid penalties

ELIMINATED IN Q2

11. Jack Doohan [Alpine]
12. Isack Hadjar [Racing Bulls]
13. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin]
14. Esteban Ocon [Haas]
15. *Alex Albon [Williams]

*Albon was eliminated at the very last second during Q1 after Hulkenberg usurped him on his final push lap, knocking Albon into P16. During Q3 however, Hulkenberg had his lap time deleted and is now being investigated by the FIA for exceeding track limits, with Albon pushed back into P15 as a result.

ELIMINATED IN Q1

16. Nico Hulkenberg [Sauber]
17. Liam Lawson [Racing Bulls]
18. Gabriel Bortoleto [Sauber]
19. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]
20. Ollie Bearman [Haas]

How does F1 Qualifying work?

The qualifying session is split into three finite windows, which provide a dramatic prelude to Sunday's race.

The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1, with a further five eliminated after Q2.

Then, Q3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.

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