McLaren's Oscar Piastri surges in championship race with Bahrain GP win

McLaren's Oscar Piastri won the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to reduce the gap to Formula One championship leading teammate Lando Norris to three points after four races.

Piastri started the day third overall and 13 points adrift of Norris, sixth on the grid, and ended it as the British driver's closest rival and the season's first repeat winner.

George Russell was second for Mercedes, 15.599 seconds behind, with Norris third and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth.

The win was a first for champions McLaren in Bahrain, home of the team's majority owners.

“It’s been an incredible weekend,” Piastri said. “To finish the job today in style was nice.

“It's very important given our owners. It's never been a track that's been kind to us, so it's nice to have our first win here.”

Norris leads the drivers' standings on 77 points, with Piastri overtaking Max Verstappen and into second ahead of next weekend's race in Jeddah.

“That should be one hell of a party tonight. Mega weekend everyone. That was pretty damn fun,” Piastri said after marking his 50th start in perfect style.

Russell had to deal with electrical problems on his car and was facing an investigation into his use of the DRS overtake aid system. Russell said it had opened when he pressed the button to use the radio.

Russell’s second place was the best result for Mercedes since he won the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.

Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari after losing a hard-fought battle to Norris, while his teammate Hamilton started ninth but cut through the field to finish fifth.

Defending champion Verstappen was last at one stage but survived an overheating car and a slow pit stop to place sixth, passing Pierre Gasly, who was seventh for Alpine.

Esteban Ocon of Haas was eighth, with Yuki Tsunoda ninth for his first points since joining Red Bull, and Oliver Bearman 10th in the other Haas.

McLaren looked set to dominate the weekend – as predicted by their rivals – after topping every practice session but Norris' slip-up at the death in qualifying left him with work to do from sixth.

The British driver said he was “clueless” about how to get pace from his car after qualifying but he was certainly quick off the line, surging past Gasly and Kimi Antonelli by the first corner before dispatching Leclerc.

Norris' positive opening was soon dashed as he was hit with a five-second penalty for a false start – Verstappen flagging it on the radio as replays showed the championship leader comfortably ahead of his grid box.

Meanwhile, Sir Jackie Stewart drove a Formula One car for what he believes will be the final time at the Bahrain Grand Prix wearing a special helmet signed by every living champion.

The three-time world champion drove the Sakhir circuit in his 1973 championship-winning Tyrell, in honour of his charity Race Against Dementia.

The unique helmet will be used to raise money for the charity set up by Stewart, 85, in 2016, after his wife Helen began suffering from the disease.

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