14 April 2025 13:00 (UTC)
Sunset shots, baggage allowance and the F1 Masters: A fly on the wall look at this weekend action on and off-track
Welcome to our new regular post-race round-up, a final look at the action, where we’ll break down the best and the bonkers of F1 from across the weekend. From our favourite photos to the slickest fits we spotted, plus all the behind-the-scenes goodness you might have missed.
It was a weekend of firsts in Bahrain: our first twilight race of 2025, our first Pole in Sakhir, and our first victory here too. Oscar outlined his Championship credentials, producing arguably the most complete display of his F1 career to date, while Lando bounced back from a setback in Qualifying to secure his fourth podium of the year and retain the lead of the Drivers’ standings.
Away from the on-track action, we were treated to a Masters-themed challenge between Lando and Carlos Sainz, some summer-style inspiration, and were left wondering how we’ll get the winner’s trophy home.
Our first race under the lights in 2025 didn’t disappoint, the Bahrain International Circuit producing an exhilarating 57 laps to a backdrop of the beautiful Sakhir sunset. In the build-up to the action, our content creators captured this jaw-dropping image of the sun setting in the Sakhir desert.
Our creators took a trip up the Sakhir Tower to capture this stunning timelapse shot. To achieve the shot, they carefully positioned their camera on a tripod and hit the shutter every four minutes for an hour. The nine strongest shots - spanning from the brightest to the darkest - were selected and edited, before being stacked on top of each other, which created the unique tile effect.
Carlando’s back… and this time, it’s par-sonal. The return of Carlando was our favourite non-racing moment of the weekend, par none.
Ahead of Rory McIlroy’s history-making Masters triumph, we reunited Lando with his former teammate Carlos Sainz, the man credited with introducing him to golf during their time together at McLaren. The pair went head-to-head in a tee-rific F1 Masters challenge, taking on a variety of tailor-made holes in the paddock.
Oscar enjoyed a flawless Bahrain Grand Prix from start to finish, becoming the season’s first repeat race winner.
After securing our first-ever Pole at the Bahrain International Circuit, Oscar converted it with conviction on Sunday, pulling away cleanly from first and never once looking in doubt.
As the team rejoiced on team radio at the Chequered Flag, celebrating the “first time we’ve won our second home Grand Prix”, Oscar remained typically calm and collected, thanking the team for their efforts and requesting that they enjoy the party on his behalf.
Though, he would have been reaching for another type of drink, as difficulties with his drinking bottle resulted in him having to draw out water “pretty forcefully” in 30-degree heat. Not that it fazed him!
No, it wasn’t George Russell stripping off in the cooldown room…
Lando could have let a tricky Qualifying session define his weekend, but the British driver delivered a determined performance from sixth to extend his run of consecutive podiums.
It wasn’t the smoothest of races, but Lando kept his head down throughout. He saw a brilliant start - in which he sprung past three drivers to third - curtailed by a time penalty for being out of place on the grid. Lando regained his composure to take his fourth podium in as many races and fifth in a row.
The crowning moment was his lunge on Charles Leclerc for the final podium spot. The two had been playing cat and mouse for several laps, but Lando pulled off a magnificent manoeuvre to steal third, going around the outside of the Ferrari driver at Turn 4.
Fan fits have dominated F1’s fashion headlines in the opening few races, with those in China and Japan producing their usual array of imaginative creations, but in Bahrain, Lando stole the show.
Back in the UK, British fans were enjoying a bright and sunny start to spring and would have been scrambling to find their summer clothes. For anyone considering a wardrobe refresh, look no further than Lando’s Thursday outfit for inspiration - a stylish long-sleeve crochet shirt, combined with a pair of papaya-coloured shorts and some simple white trainers.
The team might have to shell out for extra baggage allowance on their journey home. Oscar confirmed in the comments on his Instagram post that the supersized Bahrain Grand Prix winner’s trophy is as heavy as it looks.
We can only hope that this image was captured in one take, or else his arms may have started to feel a little weak, given he'd just driven 57 laps in stifling heat.
The conclusion of the season’s first triple-header in Saudi Arabia, host of the F1 calendar’s fastest street circuit.
After that? Sleep, and lots of it.
