Piastri Seizes Saudi Win and Grabs Championship Lead

Oscar Piastri wins in Saudi Arabia and takes the championship lead, with Verstappen second and Leclerc securing Ferrari’s first podium.

Piastri challenges Max Verstappen under Jeddah’s lights, while Lando Norris storms through the field after a tough qualifying crash.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable races of the season so far. With Max Verstappen starting from pole and Oscar Piastri right next to him, we’re set for a showdown we haven’t seen before – a head-to-head fight between two evenly matched drivers in prime form.

After a dramatic qualifying crash, Lando Norris will be starting further down the grid, but don’t count him out – he’s got pace, strategy, and an extra set of fresh soft tyres in his pocket. Meanwhile, Red Bull seems to have found its rhythm in the cooler night conditions, and Verstappen will be tough to beat. But Piastri has proven he’s not here to play second fiddle.

Race Start: Sparks Fly in Jeddah

Lights out, and it’s a lightning start from Piastri, who pulls alongside Verstappen. The Red Bull driver cuts across turn one, forcing the McLaren wide to keep the lead. Behind them, chaos – Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly collide, bringing out the safety car. Tsunoda limps on, but Gasly’s race is over.

The stewards quickly note Verstappen’s aggressive move. Replays show he was behind into Turn 1, and rather than yielding, he ran off track to keep position – a clear breach. Moments later, he’s hit with a five-second penalty.

Lap 4 to 10: Piastri Pressures, Norris Charges

Racing resumes with Verstappen leading, but Piastri is right on his tail. They trade fastest laps – a tense game of cat and mouse. Russell sits comfortably in third, while Leclerc holds fourth. Behind them, Norris is already making moves, climbing into the top 10.

McLaren’s pit crew had a busy evening – nearly half of Norris’s car was rebuilt after his crash. But there’s a silver lining: he’s armed with fresh tyres and hungry to climb.

Mid-Race: Norris Battles, Verstappen Fights Back

By Lap 12, Norris hunts down Hamilton in a thrilling back-and-forth. The two exchange positions in a textbook DRS duel before Norris finally pulls away cleanly to take sixth.

At the front, Piastri keeps Verstappen within striking distance, hovering around a second back. Verstappen’s frustration is clear – not just with the penalty, but with a rival who refuses to back down.

Lap 20 to 25: Pit Stops Shake the Order

Piastri dives into the pits first, switching to hard tyres. Verstappen stays out a lap longer but loses precious seconds taking his penalty. He rejoins behind the McLaren.

Now, Piastri leads on track with clean air and better tyres. He immediately lays down the fastest lap – Verstappen is chasing, but the gap is growing: 3 seconds… 4… 4.5.

Behind them, Norris moves up to fifth, while Leclerc pits late to go for a strategic edge with fresher rubber.

Lap 26 to 32: Strategic Moves and a Bit of Contact

Contact between Alonso and Bortoleto raises eyebrows – not least because Bortoleto is managed by Alonso himself! Meanwhile, Leclerc is flying with his fresh tyres, clocking the fastest lap of the race.

Piastri continues to control the pace out front, Verstappen just holding on behind. Russell is losing ground, and Norris is inching closer to a potential podium charge.

Leclerc pits from the lead and rejoins fifth. It’s a smart move – he’s banking on tyre life in the closing laps to attack.

Lap 33: Leclerc pushes with a 1:32.431 lap, dropping Antonelli completely, who clocks a 1:33.8 and falls 13 seconds behind. Leclerc also slightly closes in on Russell, now just 2.1 seconds from the Mercedes.

Lap 34: McLaren informs Piastri that Norris will extend his stint, and the Australian complains about driving in dirty air behind his teammate. He still holds a 4.3-second gap over Verstappen and remains two seconds behind Norris.

Lap 35: Norris finally pits with 15 laps remaining. He rejoins in fifth on medium tyres, trailing Leclerc by 4.6 seconds. Leclerc is now just 1.6 seconds off Russell. Hadjar has also pitted and rejoins in tenth on medium tyres — a well-timed move by the Frenchman.

Lap 36: Leclerc sets another fastest lap with a 1:32.390. He’s 1.1 seconds behind Russell. Piastri finds pace again and takes two tenths from Verstappen. Norris struggled to bring his tyres up to temperature and sits 5.5 seconds back, but now picks up speed with the fastest second sector overall.

Lap 37: Piastri and Verstappen post near-identical lap times. Russell is 6.8 seconds behind, with Leclerc now within one second of the Mercedes. Norris pushes and cuts the gap to Leclerc to five seconds.

Lap 38: Fastest lap of the race for Norris with a 1:32.1, and Leclerc has overtaken Russell for third! The Monegasque heads toward what could be his first podium of the season. Norris is now just three seconds behind the Mercedes. Leclerc’s engineer, Bryan Bozzi, tells him, “Nice job, Charles,” to which Leclerc replies, “Thanks, Bryan” — a polite, slightly awkward but amusing exchange.

Lap 39: Norris closes to 1.7 seconds behind Russell, who is now 2.8 seconds adrift of Leclerc. Piastri complains about a red light on a balcony at Turn 10, mistaking it for a red flag.

Lap 40: The gap between Piastri and Verstappen remains steady. Stewards note Norris failed to follow the pit entry procedure by crossing to the left of the line.

Lap 41: Norris overtakes Russell for fourth.

Lap 42: Norris takes advantage of clean air and medium tyres to clock the fastest lap of the race in 1:31.778. He gains eight tenths on Leclerc and closes to 3.9 seconds. Ahead, Verstappen shaves a few tenths off Piastri’s lead.

Lap 43: Verstappen continues to gain on Piastri, now 3.9 seconds behind. Stewards note that Norris touched the pit exit line, which is why he’s under investigation.

Lap 44: Piastri finds his rhythm again and extends his lead over Verstappen to 4.2 seconds. Leclerc is 5.2 seconds behind the Red Bull, with Norris three seconds off the Monegasque. Norris holds a 7.4-second gap over Russell, who is lapping nearly two seconds slower than the McLaren. Stewards confirm there will be no further action against Norris, as he touched the line but did not cross it.

Lap 45: The gap between the two leaders holds steady at around four seconds. Leclerc trails by five seconds, Norris by 2.9. Hadjar applies pressure on the Williams duo in eighth and ninth.

Lap 46: Leclerc loses pace and Norris closes in, now just 1.7 seconds behind with five laps to go. He took nine tenths out of the Ferrari on the previous lap.

Lap 47: Piastri is briefly delayed by backmarkers, and the gap to Verstappen drops to 3.2 seconds. Norris remains 1.7 seconds behind Leclerc.

Lap 48: The gap between Piastri and Verstappen stands at 3.3 seconds, while Norris is just 1.3 seconds behind Leclerc. Russell voices concern about making it to the finish with the condition of his front-left tyre.

Lap 49: Mercedes reassures Russell there are no concerns with his tyres. The gap between Piastri and Verstappen narrows slightly to 2.6 seconds. Norris remains 1.2 seconds behind Leclerc.

Final lap: The gaps in the top four remain steady, and no further changes are expected.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Gap	Stop
01	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	50 Laps – 1h23m19.011s	1
02	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	+2.843	1
03	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari SF-25	+8.104	1
04	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	+9.196	1
05	George Russell	Mercedes W16	+27.236	1
06	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes W16	+34.688	1
07	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari SF-25	+39.073	1
08	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes FW47	+64.630	1
09	Alex Albon	Williams Mercedes FW47	+66.515	1
10	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	+67.091	1
11	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	+75.917	1
12	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	+78.451	1
13	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari VF-25	+79.194	1
14	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari VF-25	+99.723	1
15	Nico Hülkenberg	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	+1 tour	1
16	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	+1 tour	2
17	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	+1 tour	1
18	Jack Doohan	Alpine Renault A525	+1 tour	2
19	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	DNF	1
20	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault A525	DNF	0

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Piastri Seizes Saudi Win and Grabs Championship Lead Piastri Seizes Saudi Win and Grabs Championship Lead