Piastri takes Saudi Arabian Grand Prix victory and Formula One championship lead
Oscar Piastri claimed his third win in five races at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday, overtaking McLaren teammate Lando Norris to lead the Formula One championship for the first time in his career.
The Australian driver finished 2.843 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who started from pole position but faced a critical setback when he received a five-second penalty for running wide at the first corner while battling Piastri. Charles Leclerc secured Ferrari's first podium of the 2025 season by finishing third.
"It was a pretty tough race. I'm very, very happy to have won. Made the difference at the start. Made my case into Turn One, and that was enough," said Piastri after completing 50 laps in 30-degree heat. "Definitely one of the toughest races I've had in my career."
The decisive moment came immediately after the start when Piastri got a better launch and challenged Verstappen into the first corner. Their wheel-to-wheel battle ended with Verstappen running wide to stay ahead - a move stewards later penalized, stating it was Piastri's corner.
"He needs to give that back, I was ahead," Piastri told McLaren over team radio. "He was never going to make that corner regardless of whether he was there or not."
Verstappen responded sarcastically upon hearing about his penalty: "Oh, that is lovely."
Norris, who started from 10th following a qualifying crash, delivered an impressive recovery drive to finish fourth. The British driver used an alternative strategy starting on hard tires, briefly leading for four laps while others pitted, before mounting a late charge that fell just short of a podium finish.
With this victory, Piastri becomes the first Australian to lead the Formula One championship since his manager Mark Webber in 2010. He now has 99 points compared to Norris's 89 and Verstappen's 87, while McLaren extended their constructors' championship lead over Mercedes to 77 points.
"I'm not bothered that I am leading the world championship but I am proud of the hard work we have done to get here. I want to be leading the championship after round 24, not round five," said the Australian.
The race featured the customary Saudi Arabian Grand Prix safety car appearance when Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine's Pierre Gasly collided on the opening lap, with both drivers retiring from the race.
Mercedes secured fifth and sixth places with George Russell and Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli respectively, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished seventh for Ferrari. Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon took eighth and ninth, with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounding out the points in tenth.
SportsLigue