Ranking the top 10 drivers from the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix: Decline of Verstappen?

The 2025 Bahrain Grand prix was problematic for many teams because nothing went to plan. The Tarmac over the track was so rough that it caused overheating, and drivers struggled to keep the car on track. But other than all of these, Oscar Piastri was in his own league. The Australian didn't face any challenge from anyone apart from Russell’s charge on the opening lap. 

Even the safety car didn't disturb him much as he was comfortably in the lead and won the race in Sakhir. But the reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen had a day to forget because of the poor strategy by his team, Red Bull. Many experts say this is the start of the decline for Verstappen in Formula 1. So, which drivers were the best and worst from the Bahrain Grand Prix? Let's see.

Ranking the Top 10 drivers from the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix

1. Oscar Piastri

The Australian is our number one because yesterday he showed us he is one of those contenders for the F1 championship this year. Piastri controlled the race all by himself despite an early charge from George Russell. He is now second in the drivers' table and could bring a lot of headaches for his teammate, Lando Norris, throughout the year.

2. Lewis Hamilton

The Veteran Formula 1 driver had a great race weekend in Bahrain. The track that is familiar and the place where he enjoyed the most success has suddenly changed into a nightmare for him. Lewis was low on confidence and felt he was slow as compared with his teammate. But the race strategy by Ferrari helped him gain places, and Lewis Hamilton finished in P5 behind his teammate.

3. Oliver Bearman

He is the best rookie driver at the Bahrain Grand Prix.  He started from last and finished inside the points table. Bearman was outstanding at the race start, overtaking both the Sauber cars on the main straights. He then kept his head down and fully focused on going quickly. He also evaded a late charge from Antonelli and finished inside the points table.

4. Esteban Ocon

It was a double delight for the Haas F1 team as Esteban Ocon, who faced problems during qualifying, finished inside the points table in the main race. Ocon was out of the Q2 when he crashed his car in turn 2. But during the race, the Frenchman maintained his tyres very well while many others struggled. It allowed him to finish in P8 and get his team some good points from the race.

5. Pierre Gasly

One of the best drivers from yesterday was Pierre Gasly. It was brilliant for him to finish inside the top 10, with Max Verstappen behind him for most of the race. Only on the final lap was Verstappen able to beat Gasly, or else he would have finished ahead of the world champion. 

6. Lando Norris

Finishing in P3 after starting from P6 is amazing, but Lando Norris was expected to finish in P2. He took more time fighting Charles Leclerc, and that is what cost him some points. But the good thing here was that he kept his championship lead intact. He will now have to stop Oscar Piastri alongside Max Verstappen.

7. Max Verstappen

Verstappen faced a troublesome race not because of his rivals or the race track. It was his team's mistake that cost him some more places. If the pit stop strategy was right from Red Bull, then Verstappen would have at least finished in P4. Max is also part of the team, so he should take some of the blame and move on.

8. Charles Leclerc

The Ferrari driver was outstanding with his race strategy and tyre management. But the biggest thing he missed was the race start, where he failed to attack Piastri and Russell. He started second after Russell got a one-place grid penalty, but again lost his position to the same Mercedes driver and finished in P4. But it was an amazing recovery by Charles Leclerc.

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9. George Russell

On the opening lap, George got a nice launch and should have beaten Piastri. He locked up and lost the opportunity to lead the race. Russell also struggled with his tyres, and it was his own driving skills that fended off Norris in the later stages.

10. Yuki Tsunoda

He is our final best driver, and he will be smiling today as he did a great job of bringing some valuable points for Red Bull. The Japanese driver had a collision with Carlos Sainz, but despite all of that, he finished in P9 and showed some improvement for the team.

Also Read: F1 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results: Oscar Piastri Wins for the first time at Sakhir