Piastri Takes Saudi GP Victory and Championship Lead
Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance to win the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, securing his third victory of the season and rising to the top of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings.
Starting second on the grid at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the McLaren driver went wheel-to-wheel with polesitter Max Verstappen into Turn 1. The Red Bull driver briefly led, but a five-second penalty for cutting the corner dropped him behind Piastri after the pit stops.
Lando Norris, recovering from a P10 start due to a qualifying crash, briefly led the race during a long first stint on hard tyres. Once Norris pitted, Piastri reclaimed the lead and maintained a steady gap, ultimately finishing 2.8 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third, earning his first top-three finish of the season.
Norris secured fourth, followed by Mercedes teammates George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth. Lewis Hamilton finished a quiet seventh, while Williams celebrated a double points finish—Carlos Sainz in eighth and Alex Albon in ninth. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten.
Fernando Alonso once again missed out on points in 11th. Further back, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda retired following a Lap 1 crash that triggered the Safety Car.
Piastri now leads the standings by 10 points over teammate Norris, becoming the first Australian to top the F1 championship since Mark Webber in 2010.
The F1 season continues with the next round in early May.