Oscar Piastri Victorious in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri has taken the lead in the Formula 1 world championship for the first time after winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen`s chances were hampered by a five-second penalty.

Verstappen and Piastri, starting from the front row, battled wheel-to-wheel into the first corner in Jeddah. However, stewards penalized Verstappen for cutting the chicane and unfairly staying ahead of Piastri, who had a faster start.

Piastri maintained a comfortable gap within the five-second penalty margin throughout the first stint of the race. He moved into the lead when Verstappen served his penalty during the pit stops.

Piastri continued to extend his lead over Verstappen, ultimately winning by three seconds. This marks his second win in two weeks and his third victory in the five races this season. He now leads the Drivers` Championship, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

Norris, who started 10th due to a qualifying crash, finished fourth, narrowly missing out on overtaking Charles Leclerc for third place in the final laps.

Leclerc, starting from fourth, drove a strong race, extending his first stint and overtaking George Russell on fresher tires to secure Ferrari`s first podium of the season.

Russell finished fifth, ahead of his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in sixth. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, struggling with grip throughout the weekend. He managed to hold off Norris for several laps in the initial stint.

Williams achieved a double top-ten finish, with Carlos Sainz in eighth and Alex Albon in ninth. Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten.

The Safety Car made its customary appearance at the Jeddah circuit after a first-lap collision between Red Bull`s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine`s Pierre Gasly, resulting in both drivers` retirement.

Verstappen`s Penalty Explained

With Norris starting further back, the race was anticipated to be a direct duel between Verstappen and Piastri for the championship lead.

Piastri had a slightly better start from second on the grid and held the inside line into the first chicane. Verstappen, starting from pole, fought on the outside and went off-track at the apex of the corner, rejoining still in the lead, which led to the penalty.

“He needs to give that back. I was ahead,” Piastri immediately communicated over team radio.

Following the Safety Car period caused by the Tsunoda-Gasly incident, stewards investigated the start and issued Verstappen a five-second penalty, to be served at his first pit stop.

“Well, that is **** lovely,” Verstappen reacted sarcastically to the penalty announcement.

Despite Verstappen`s strong pace, Piastri`s McLaren was expected to be faster over the race distance, making it difficult for Verstappen to build a sufficient lead to negate the penalty before his pit stop.

Verstappen managed to build a three-second lead over Piastri. However, McLaren pitted Piastri earlier on lap 18 for fresh tires. After Verstappen served his penalty during his pit stop two laps later, he rejoined behind Piastri.

After both Leclerc and Norris pitted, Piastri controlled his advantage to the finish line.

“Once I got on the inside, I wasn`t coming out of Turn One in second,” Piastri stated after the race. “I tried my best. Obviously, the stewards had to get involved, but I thought I was plenty far enough up. And in the end, that`s what got me the race.”

Verstappen, in a brief post-race comment, thanked the Jeddah fans and expressed his anticipation for the Miami race.

Saudi Arabian GP Result