Oscar Piastri crushed the opposition to claim a superb victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix, thrusting himself into the heart of the F1 drivers' championship conversation.
Just a week after missing out on a 24th birthday triumph in Suzuka, the McLaren driver marked his 50th grand prix start with the full 25 points haul in Sakhir.
In doing so, he slashed the deficit to team-mate Lando Norris, which now sits at just three points. However, more consequentially, the Australian has wrestled the momentum away from the other side of the McLaren garage.
Although Piastri eased to his fourth grand prix win, Norris' lead atop the standings actually grew from one point, after Max Verstappen's disappointing weekend ended in sixth place.
Despite his brilliance at the Japanese Grand Prix, the annual trip to the Bahrain International Circuit proved the Dutchman will struggle to sustain a championship challenge against the dominant MCL39.
The insurgent outlier, George Russell, remains a distant threat at only 14 points adrift. The Mercedes driver has sewn together a string of strong performances to start the campaign, relying on consistency to stay within touching distance.
But, given the fashion of his victory in Bahrain, is Piastri now the drivers' championship favourite, a tag once worn by Norris?
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment and by voting below in the latest poll by RacingNews365.
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