Oscar Piastri was delighted to secure pole position for what will be his 50th Grand Prix start in Bahrain, with the Australian building on the promise that he displayed throughout the weekend’s practice sessions to “deliver when it mattered” in Qualifying.
McLaren had been looking in commanding form on Friday and again into Saturday in Sakhir, having topped the timesheets in FP1 courtesy of Lando Norris before Piastri set the pace in FP2 and FP3.
READ MORE: Piastri beats Russell and Leclerc to pole position during Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying
And while both drivers continued to look strong during Qualifying, Norris’ final run in Q3 could not elevate him higher than P6 while Piastri stormed to pole via his closing effort of 1m 29.841s, putting him two-tenths clear of Mercedes’ George Russell in second.
Piastri claimed his second pole position of the season during Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix
Reflecting back on the session after jumping out of the MCL39, Piastri admitted that he had been happy with the car throughout the weekend following first practice, a feeling that he had carried into Saturday’s Qualifying hour.
“I felt confident out there pretty much all weekend,” the 24-year-old said. “FP1 was an experience for us all, I think – it felt more like a rally car than an F1 car, but from then on I’ve felt really comfortable with the car.
HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri claims brilliant Bahrain pole as Norris finishes down in sixth
“[In] FP3 we had good pace. [In] Qualifying the others caught up a little bit closer than what I wanted, but [I] still delivered the laps when it mattered which was the most important thing, so [I’m] very, very happy.”
Piastri will be joined on the front row by Russell
When it was put to Piastri that Norris’ difficulties in Qualifying may allow him to make a clearer start at the front on Sunday – given that he will not have to contend with the other McLaren off the line – the three-time race winner responded: “Let’s see, I’ve got to get to Turn 1 first so let’s see what happens.
“[It] felt like I’ve been comfortable all weekend, and there’s no better place to start than on pole. [I] can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given me and I’m excited for the race tomorrow.”
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow the action from Qualifying for the Bahrain GP as Piastri takes pole
The result marks Piastri’s second pole position of the season following his debut career pole in China, a position that he went on to convert into victory on that occasion.
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