PIASTRI EASES TO VICTORY IN BAHRAIN

Formula One was in the desert of Bahrain for Round Four of this year's World Championship. A track the drivers and teams know well from Pre-Season testing. But it was the young Aussie of Oscar Piastri who controlled the weekend. From pole position to a lights to flag victory on the Sunday. If his teammate had finished off the podium he would be leading the title charge the first Australian to do so since Mark Webber in 2010. George Russell had another superb drive to take second place as Lando Norris extends his lead at the top with a hard fought third place.

It was pole man Oscar Piastri who got away well but George Russell looks quick off the line as well but heading into turn one he locks up into and almost hits the No.81 McLaren as the Mercedes is up into second with Lando Norris passing Charles Leclerc for third after starting in sixth. Leclerc is fourth and Pierre Gasly rounds out the top five.

Just eight laps in Lando Norris was given a five second penalty for a false start after starting too far ahead in his pit box.

Just three laps later on lap eleven Norris pits and McLaren choose to serve the penalty in the pits rather than waiting until the end of the race for the time to be added on.

On the twenty fifth lap it was Leclerc who gets past Norris for third as the McLaren continues to struggle compared to his teammate at this stage of the race.

Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen comes in from 9th on lap twenty seven and comes back out in 20th and last. He swaps the hard tyres for the faster medium tyres.

The field was then bunched back up on lap thirty three when the Safety Car was deployed for the debris at turn two. And the top four all come into the pits for what is effectively a free stop. Verstappen doesn’t pit to gain back some track position. Three laps later on lap thirty six we see the green flag. No drama or position changes on the restart.

On lap forty seven we got the one and only retirement from the race as Carlos Sainz is forced to retire the car in a weekend that slowly went downhill. He qualified in eighth on Saturday and looked like he could score points but a collision stopped all that.

Eventually with just five laps left Lando Norris passes Leclerc for third. And the McLaren looked set to take second but the chequered flag came too soon for Norris.

It was a good race for Alpine who pick up their first points of the season with Gasly finishing seventh. It was also a good weekend for Haas with a double points finish for the American team with Ocon in eighth and Bearman in tenth.

The next race is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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