Norris rues ‘messy race’ after P3 finish in Bahrain as he vows to ‘step it up’ at Saudi Arabian GP

Lando Norris could not hide his disappointment after Sunday night’s Bahrain Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver coming home third in an incident-filled race that he described as “messy”, while team mate Oscar Piastri cruised to victory.

Norris started the encounter back in sixth position after a tricky end to Qualifying but appeared to make amends almost immediately by climbing to third in the first sequence of corners – clearing Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

READ MORE: Piastri storms to controlled victory in Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Russell and Norris

However, the Briton was swiftly noted for a false start and, with replays confirming that he had indeed lined up ahead of his grid box, the stewards handed him a five-second penalty to be served at the first round of pit stops.

Later on, following a Safety Car restart, Norris went wheel-to-wheel with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and was forced to give a place back to the seven-time World Champion for passing him off the track.

In the end, after several failed attempts to pass Leclerc, Norris returned to the podium places and hunted down George Russell, but the Mercedes man had enough pace in hand to hold on for P2.

Asked about his rollercoaster drive to third, beginning with that false start, Norris commented: “I didn’t think I was that far forward [on the grid], I guess. Nothing more than that.

AS IT HAPPENED: All the action from the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix

“A tough race. Of course, I made too many mistakes with the overtakes, the out of position [moment] – it was a messy race from me.

“I’m disappointed not to bring home a 1-2 for McLaren, because that would have been lovely at home [for the team]. A tough one, but still a few positives.”

He added: “It was good racing throughout, so no complaints. It was good fun, good overtakes, everyone hard and on the limit, as it should be.”

Norris was also pushed on how close he came to passing Russell – who had been battling systems issues aboard his car – in the closing stages, with the pair separated by less than a second when the chequered flag fell.

“He did a good job,” Norris said of Russell. “I thought I’d be able to get him. I guess he was probably just saving a little bit for the end, which he did well, so he did a good job.

GALLERY: Jackie Stewart drives 1973 title-winning Tyrrell in emotional demo run ahead of Bahrain GP

“Oscar did a good job, so congrats to Oscar and the whole McLaren team. I’ll try to step it up for next weekend [in Saudi Arabia].”

Norris still leads the Drivers’ Championship on 77 points, but Piastri is now his nearest rival with 74, followed by reigning World Champion Max Verstappen on 69.