Piastri claims pole at Bahrain, Norris qualifies 6th

Oscar Piastri will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from the front of the grid after knocking George Russell off provisional pole with a sensational lap of 1:29.841 during qualifying Saturday.

The pole is the McLaren driver's second of his F1 career in his 50th race, and it's the first time the team has ever secured pole position in Bahrain.

"I felt confident out there all weekend, to be honest," Piastri said. "There's no better place to start than on pole."

Piastri, who sits third in the drivers' standings, also claimed pole position and a race win at the Chinese GP in March.

Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari's best result of the season, but will start second after Russell received a one-place grid penalty for entering the fast lane in the pit before a restart time was confirmed. Kimi Antonelli was also penalized for the same reason and will start fifth after qualifying fourth.

Championship leader Lando Norris qualified sixth, while Max Verstappen will start seventh.

"No idea, just not quick enough," a dejected Norris said when asked why he struggled with pace.

Bahrain marked the first time both Red Bull cars advanced to Q3.

Esteban Ocon caused a red flag during Q2 after crashing heavily into the wall at Turn 3. The Haas driver was unable to finish qualifying but said he was OK.

Alex Albon was originally eliminated in Q1 but was later bumped up to 15th after Nico Hulkenberg had his lap time deleted in Q2 and was demoted to 16th.