Piastri takes pole position for F1 Bahrain Grand Prix

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Motorsport, Formula 1 World Championship, Italian Grand Prix, Third Free Practice, Australian driver Oscar Piastri of the McLaren team is pictured in the paddock, during the third free pactice of the Italian Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship in Monza. Piastri claimed pole position for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday. Hasan Bratic/dpa

Oscar Piastri of McLaren claimed pole position for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Australian secured his second pole of the season with the fastest time of 1 minute 29.841 seconds and beating the Mercedes of George Russell by 0.168s.

"I felt confident out there all weekend. The others caught up a little closer than I wanted, but I delivered the laps when it mattered so very, very happy," Piastri said.

Charles Leclerc was third, 0.334s behind Piastri, giving Ferrari their first start among the top three this season.

"Honestly, I didn't expect third. At the beginning of Q3 everything felt really bad with the old tyres, but as soon as we put on the new tyres everything felt better," Leclerc said.

Ahead of the race in Bahrain, Norris tops the drivers' championship standings but defending champion Max Verstappen is just one point behind in second.

Dominant McLaren, struggling Verstappen

Defending constructors' champions McLaren have dominated the weekend in Bahrain, having the fastest car in all three practice sessions and Piastri topping two of them.

Team-mate Lando Norris, however, was only sixth in the qualifying after a mistake in his last flying lap cost him precious time.

Norris won the season opener Australian GP, while Piastri took victory in the second race of the season in China.

But McLaren were dethroned last weekend when four-time defending champion Verstappen took Red Bull to the top of the podium at the Japanese GP.

In Bahrain, however, the Dutchman has been struggling and clocked only the seventh best time in qualifying.

Verstappen was almost knocked out in Q1 due to an issues with his brakes. He advanced after clocking his sole time in his final lap.

Can Russell threaten McLaren?

Russell has been the only non-McLaren or non-Red Bull driver to be on the podium this year, with third place finishes in Australia and China.

And the short gap to McLaren in Bahrain's qualifying could give him confidence to aim for something bigger in Sunday's race.

"If anyone said we would be within half a second of the McLarens, we'd have taken it as we'd have been P3 on the grid, so to be P2 is a bonus," he said.

His Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli was fourth, followed by the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.

Carlos Sainz of Williams, Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull completed the top 10.

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