F1 Driver Ratings: 2025 Bahrain GP Edition

The 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix gave us everything: wheel-to-wheel battles, heartbreak, heroics, and a masterclass in racecraft under the desert lights. With the dust settled and the papaya squad making headlines, it’s time to rate every driver’s performance—based not just on where they finished but how they got there. From comebacks to race-ending chaos, here’s our definitive driver power ranking from Sakhir.

2025 Bahrain Grand Prix driver ratings

Full Race Report

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  2025 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The Ice Man of Bahrain
Cool, calm, and in total control. Managed tyre wear like a seasoned vet, handled the Safety Car restart perfectly, and stretched out a dominant 15s win. Faultless drive and a clear message to the grid—Oscar Piastri is not here to play games.
Rating: 10/10

Rookie Rampage
From last on the grid to points? Unreal. He drove smart, avoided chaos, and showed brilliant racecraft under pressure. That was no fluke—it was talent, patience, and precision from a future star. Haas has hit the jackpot here with Oliver Bearman.
Rating: 9.5/10

Penalty? What penalty?
Jumped the gun at the start and got hit with a 5s penalty, but that didn’t stop him. Picked his moments, made clean overtakes, and almost nicked P2 from Russell. Another podium for Lando Norris, who continues to be a title contender and is firing on all cylinders.
Rating: 8.5/10

Master of the Undercut.
A clinical drive with a clever early pit strategy. Gaining six places, Esteban Ocon kept his nose clean and banked big points for Haas. Nothing flashy—just smart decisions and relentless pace. That’s the veteran presence the team needs.
Rating: 8.5/10

Under Pressure.
Brushed with disaster at Turn 1 but kept it tidy from there. Stuck to his guns late on as Norris came charging, and the DRS investigation didn’t amount to anything. A gritty podium that shows George Russell is maturing under pressure as the number one driver at Mercedes.
Rating: 8/10

Steady Climb.
Didn’t make waves but executed a clean and effective race. Smart strategy, well-managed tyres, and strong race pace when it counted. A tidy reminder that the 7-time champ still knows how to put together a Sunday drive.
Rating: 7.5/10

Point Proven.
Finally, the points drought with Red Bull’s second driver at the senior team is broken. Stayed focused, absorbed pressure, and delivered when others faltered. Might’ve been involved in the Sainz incident, but overall, this was a confidence builder for Yuki Tsunoda.
Rating: 7.5/10

Points are off to a start.
Alpine didn’t quite have the race pace to match qualifying form, but Gasly fought hard to bring home solid points. He was always in the mix, making a few mistakes, but he was unlucky to be pipped on the last lap by Verstappen. With an extraordinary drive for a team that has faltered, Pierre Gasly put in a solid and reliable performance—exactly what Alpine needed to secure their first points of the season.
Rating: 7/10

Fighting Ghosts.
Brake issues ruined qualifying, pit stops were messy, and he was left clawing back ground and still salvaged P6 in classic Max Verstappen fashion. Not a vintage performance, but when things go wrong, and you still deliver points? That’s resilience.
Rating: 7/10

Start Slump.
Charles Leclerc lost out immediately off the line and was on the back foot for the rest of the race. Couldn’t hold off Norris or mount a serious podium threat. Quick over a lap but didn’t bring the fight on Sunday. More was expected here from the upgrades that Ferrari brought. Maybe Saudi will bring better performance with full-race data under his belt.
Rating: 7/10

Rookie Growing Pains.
Had genuine pace and looked set for points early on but faded as the race progressed. Showed flashes of promise, but consistency wasn’t quite there. Kimi Antonelli is one to watch—he’s not far off, just needs the final puzzle pieces. Great overtaking on Verstappen though.
Rating: 6/10

Penalised and Invisible.
Picked up a track limits penalty and never really got into the groove. The Alpine had some pace, but Jack Doohan just didn’t hook it together this weekend. One of those races where you blink and miss he was even in it.
Rating: 5.5/10

Out of Sync.
The fire wasn’t there. From a mediocre qualifying to an anonymous race, Fernando Alonso seemed stuck in no man’s land all weekend. No spark, no major mistakes—just a performance that didn’t meet the usual standard. Here’s hoping the Newey magic brings him success in the 2026 season.
Rating: 5/10

Penalty Collector.
Fast, aggressive, and far too scrappy. Two penalties for collisions killed his race. Showed glimpses of pace, but it was buried under messy decision-making. Promising, but Liam Lawson needs polishing after a dismal start at Red Bull in rounds one and two and being demoted back to Racing Bulls.
Rating: 4.5/10

Just There.
Held steady early on but faded as the race unfolded. No real highlights, no major errors—just a bit of a passenger in the midfield shuffle. Decent learning experience, but not much more than that for Isack Hadjar.
Rating: 4.5/10

Not Much to Say.
Quiet and cautious. Made up a few places, but he wasn’t really part of any on-track action or battles. Felt more like a test session than a race performance. Williams needs more from Alex Albon (which he has shown in 2025), especially as Carlos showed glimpses of brilliance, putting the sister Williams where it probably shouldn’t be.
Rating: 4.5/10

Technically Gained One Spot.
Was promoted a place post-race due to his teammate’s DSQ, but on merit, this was a backmarker performance. Gabriel Bortoleto needs to find pace fast, or Sauber’s going nowhere this season.
Rating: 4/10

Literal Backmarker.
Just kind of existed. No pace, no presence, no fight. Aston Martin was nowhere this weekend, and Lance Stroll did nothing to change that. If he weren’t on the timing screen, would anyone have noticed?
Rating: 3.5/10

DNF
His race ended in a clumsy tangle with Tsunoda after a promising start. He showed solid form through the weekend, but none of it mattered after that incident. Frustrating for Williams, who needed a clean race from Carlos Sainz who has faltered somewhat in his early season start.
Rating: 3/10

DSQ’d After a Decent Race.
Had a solid, if unspectacular race, gaining positions and staying clean. But none of it counted thanks to a plank wear violation. Disqualification wipes it all out—a brutal ending to a good day for Nico Hulkenberg.
Rating: 0/10

2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results

The 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Race was held on 13 April 2025 at 6:00 pm local time.

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	57	1:35:39.435	25
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	57	+15.499s	18
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	57	+16.273s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	+19.679s	12
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	57	+27.993s	10
6	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	57	+34.395s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	57	+36.002s	6
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari	57	+44.244s	4
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	57	+45.061s	2
10	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari	57	+47.594s	1
11	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	57	+48.016s	0
12	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	57	+48.839s	0
13	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	57	+56.314s	0
14	7	Jack Doohan	Alpine Renault	57	+57.806s	0
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	57	+60.340s	0
16	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	57	+64.435s	0
17	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	57	+65.489s	0
18	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber Ferrari	57	+66.872s	0
NC	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes	45	DNF	0
DSQ	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber Ferrari		DSQ	0
Lawson received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision and a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. Doohan received a five-second time penalty for track limit infringements. Hulkenberg disqualified for technical infringements.