Bahrain GP driver ratings: George Russell stakes claim as best driver of F1 2025 so far

Here are our driver ratings after the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Oscar Piastri - 9.5

Oscar Piastri produced another sublime weekend to take his second victory of the 2025 F1 season. It was an important win in the race for this year’s world championship.

George Russell - 9.5

It is pretty easy to argue that George Russell is the best-performing driver in 2025. Despite many technical gremlins, Russell held off Lando Norris on the final lap to take second in Bahrain.

Lando Norris - 6

It was a disastrous weekend for Norris, who could only qualify sixth after a mistake at Turn 1 on his final Q3 effort. He was up to third by the end of the opening lap but received a five-second time penalty for being out of his grid slot. His race craft up against Russell and Charles Leclerc was also questionable.

Charles Leclerc - 9.5

It was yet another strong weekend from Leclerc, who was the quicker of the two Ferraris in Bahrain. He couldn’t do any more to hold off Norris in the final stint, with Leclerc forced to run the unfavoured hard tyre.

Lewis Hamilton - 7

Lewis Hamilton’s race day recovery in Bahrain was respectable. Overall, though, it was very reminiscent of his final year at Mercedes. He was very poor in qualifying and had a solid race performance.

Max Verstappen - 8.5

The Bahrain GP was a tricky race for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Verstappen would have to wait until the final lap to get past Gasly, highlighting how slow the RB21 was relative to the other top three teams.

Pierre Gasly - 9.5

Pierre Gasly put together a faultless weekend in Bahrain. He qualified in the top five and enjoyed an error-free race to come away with seventh. His performance deserved better, only losing out to Verstappen on the final lap.

Esteban Ocon - 8.5

After his heavy shunt in qualifying, Esteban Ocon made the most of Haas’ early undercut to move up the order. During the middle stint, Ocon was able to keep Verstappen at bay. Without the Safety Car, there’s a good chance that Ocon might have beaten the reigning world champion.

Yuki Tsunoda - 7.5

While finishing ninth isn’t usually a reason to celebrate for a driver racing for Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda should be encouraged by his performance in Bahrain. He was within touching distance of Verstappen in qualifying and the race - which is what Red Bull’s top management expect from him.

Oliver Bearman - 7.5

Ollie Bearman was bitterly disappointed with his qualifying display, setting the slowest time of anyone in Q1. He made up for it with an aggressive start. While the timing of the Safety Car played into his hands, moving him up the order, he kept his cool under intense pressure from behind.

Kimi Antonelli - 7.5

The Bahrain GP was a missed opportunity for Kimi Antonelli. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though, with Mercedes’ peculiar strategy decisions. They pitted him into traffic on multiple occasions, and he effectively did a three-stopper because they wanted to avoid the hard tyre.

Alex Albon - 7

Alex Albon narrowly missed out on a points finish in Bahrain. Teammate Carlos Sainz beat him well in qualifying, but it was unfortunate that he was knocked out in Q1 after the FIA’s mishap with Nico Hulkenberg exceeding track limits. Double-stacking under the Safety Car probably cost Albon a top 10 finish.

Isack Hadjar - 6.5

An off weekend for Racing Bulls meant that Isack Hadjar was never in contention for a points finish. He still had the edge on Liam Lawson.

Jack Doohan - 6.5

Jack Doohan was on course to finish in the top 10 for the first time in his F1 career until he switched onto the hards following the Safety Car. He picked up a five-second time penalty for track limits late on.

Fernando Alonso - 7

A miserable weekend for Aston Martin, who probably had the slowest car on race day in Bahrain. Fernando Alonso couldn’t finish any higher.

Liam Lawson - 5

It was another tough weekend for Lawson. He was outperformed by teammate Hadjar and received two penalties from the stewards: the first for a collision with Lance Stroll and the second for a collision with Nico Hulkenberg late on.

Lance Stroll - 5.5

With Aston Martin lacking any pace, Lance Stroll endured a tough weekend.

Gabriel Bortoleto - 6

Gabriel Bortoleto finished last of the 18 classified runners in Bahrain. Sauber split the strategies, but neither driver looked like finishing inside the top 10.

Carlos Sainz - 6

Sainz was left to rue two collisions with Yuki Tsunoda, which resulted in sidepod damage. Before that, the Spaniard was enjoying a good race and was on course to finish in the points.

Nico Hulkenberg - 6.5

Hulkenberg was disqualified after the race due to excessive plank wear. Sauber were never in the fight to score points, so he classified 13th before his DQ.