Oscar Piastri won Sunday’s (April 20) Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and, in the process, became the first Australian since Mark Webber in 2010 to lead the Formula 1 points race.
Piastri started the race in second place and benefited from a 5-second time penalty for polesitter Max Verstappen, which allowed the McLaren driver to jump the Dutchman in the pits. Charles Leclerc drove a quiet alternate tire strategy from fourth on the grid to take the final podium position.
“It was a pretty tough race,” Piastri told Sky Sports’ David Coulthard after the race.
“It was pretty tricky to follow out there. I couldn’t really stay with Max at the end of the first stint, it just chewed up my tires. Clean air was nice after the pit stop. Great race. We did the parts we needed to do right. We still need a bit more, I think Max was a little too close for our liking. But a great race and a great weekend.”
Piastri attacked Verstappen as soon as the lights went out and Verstappen mounted a classically aggressive defense of his position by trying to hang his car around the outside of turn 1. Verstappen ran wide in the process and rejoined the track ahead of Piastri at the exit of turn 2.
“Once I got to the inside, I wasn’t coming out of turn 1 in second place,” Piastri said of the start. “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.”
Race control determined Verstappen had left the track to gain an advantage and issued the 5-second penalty to be served at his next pit stop. Piastri pitted from second place on lap 20 and properly took control of the race on lap 24 when Verstappen pitted and served his penalty. The four-time champion emerged from the pits behind both Piastri and Lewis Hamilton. After clearing Hamilton’s Ferrari, Verstappen remained between 3 and 4 seconds behind Piastri for much of the race’s second half.
Speaking to Coulthard after the race, Verstappen was visibly frustrated.
“I’m going to keep it quite short,” Verstappen said when asked about the turn 1 incident. “I just want to say a big thank you to the fans in Jeddah. It’s been a great weekend, I love the track and the rest, it is what it is. I’m looking forward to Miami, so I’ll see you there.”
Behind the controversy at the front of the field on the opening lap, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly collided at turn 4 when Gasly tried to pass Tsunoda around the outside and clipped his right-front wheel. Gasly made hard contact with the barrier while Tsunoda was able to drive his car back to the pits before retiring from the race.
Starting from 10th on the grid after crashing in Q3, Lando Norris opted for an ambitious tire strategy by running the first 34 laps of the race on hard tires as tire wear proved less-than-concerning around the narrow street circuit. After strapping on a set of mediums for the final 16 laps, Norris came home in fourth place.
Behind the top four, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli brought their Mercedes entries home in fifth and sixth, followed Lewis Hamilton and the Williams duo of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon. Isack Hadjar finished 10th and took his second points finish of the season.
2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Race Results
The next race of the 2025 F1 season will be the Miami Grand Prix. Coverage from the Miami International Autodrome by ESPN will begin Sunday, May 4, at 4 p.m. ET.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.