Piastri's Saudi Arabia stunner

Image: @McLarenF1 on Twitter/X

It was the perfect weekend for Oscar Piastri, who took his third win of the season and his second in a row in Saudi Arabia, ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Piastri’s performance saw him take the lead of the driver’s championship, making him the first Aussie to lead the table since Mark Webber fifteen years ago.

The 24-year-old’s performance leaves many wondering what the title fight may look like this year, with arguably three drivers up for contention. Here’s why the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP was one of Piastri’s best wins.

On top of the world (championship standings)

Image: Getty Images/McLaren F1

Oscar Piastri has always been revered as an extremely talented driver, but his performance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit proved that he is as good as his resume boasts. Having won titles in FRECA, Formula 3, and Formula 2 in his debut seasons, he made his mark as the champion of tomorrow.

Until this season, Piastri’s results have flown under the radar due to teammate Lando Norris’ success. The truth is that Piastri is just as good as Norris, and could even be better. With this latest win, Piastri has matched the number of wins Norris has, taking three just this season. This has prompted many to wonder whether McLaren’s “Papaya Rules” will work, considering Norris, the driver that the Woking team arguably prioritises, is now P2 in the standings, ten points behind Piastri.

So, does Piastri have a chance at the title? With his current form, he seems like a formidable rival to the likes of Verstappen and Norris, who were the title favourites going into the 2025 season.

It’s clear that McLaren has lost the enormous pace advantage the MCL39 displayed in Melbourne as Norris, despite having the superior car, struggled to snatch the final podium position from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Both Piastri and Norris will be sure to capitalise on the marginal advantage McLaren currently possess despite concerns that the rest of the grid will catch up fairly soon.

Piastri now leads the driver’s championship from Norris and Verstappen, making him the first Australian driver to top the table since Mark Webber at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix. Coincidentally, Webber is Piastri’s manager, which makes this moment all the more special.

Get Verstappen’d

Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

It wasn’t plain sailing for Max Verstappen in Jeddah as he was the recipient of a five-second time penalty following a Lap 1 collision with Oscar Piastri, who had a better start than the Dutchman in P2.

The pair went into Turn 1, and Piastri’s angling forced Verstappen to take to the run-off area, leaving Verstappen with a penalty, due to “gaining an advantage,” and that Piastri was ahead going into the first corner, according to the stewards.

The FIA decision statement on the Verstappen/Piastri Turn 1 incident:

“… car 81 had its front axle at least alongside the mirror of Car 1 prior to and at the apex of corner 1 when trying to overtake Car 1 on the inside. In fact, Car 81 was alongside Car 1 at the apex.

Based on the Driver’s Standards Guidelines, it was therefore Car 81’s corner and he was entitled to be given room.”

Verstappen served his time penalty in his one pitstop for the race, leaving him to close the gap to Piastri up ahead. The young Aussie’s pace was too much for the Dutch lion and he had to settle for second place, much to his disappointment. Following the end of the race, Verstappen clearly disagreed with the FIA’s decision to penalise him, as this penalty cost him the race win and valuable championship points.

In the post-race press conference, the Red Bull driver commented: "I think it's better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it, it might get me in trouble."

With Miami up next, Verstappen will want to make a dent in the twelve-point deficit he has to Piastri in the driver’s standings, with just two points separating the Dutchman and Lando Norris.

An unexpected surprise

Image: Scuderia Ferrari

It was a surprise podium for Charles Leclerc as he claimed his first piece of silverware for the 2025 season. The Monegasque overtook George Russell for the final podium place in a brilliant fashion, whilst also fending off Lando Norris in a much faster car.

Charles Leclerc on his P3 finish:

“There wasn’t anything more, I think, in the car. I think we need to focus on qualifying at the moment. It’s been a very long time I haven’t been as happy with the car balance. And I feel very at ease with the car in a way that I know that I can extract the maximum out of the car more often than not.”

With this result, Leclerc now sits fifth in the driver’s standings, ahead of Kimi Antonelli. The 27-year-old is now 16 points ahead of his new teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who was extremely pessimistic about his performance, saying that his race “was horrible” and “not enjoyable at all.”

It seems as if the honeymoon period between Hamilton and Ferrari has worn off, and the cold reality of being a multiple world champion at Ferrari has set in. The 104-time race winner is currently suffering the same fate Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel once faced, the pressure of the Tifosi and the iconic Prancing Horse brand.

The outlook for Ferrari looks bleak as the Scuderia can’t seem to make the leap to challenge its nearest competitors, Mercedes. Whether the grid’s strongest driver pairing can make the difference will have to be seen.

Final race classification

1 - Oscar PIASTRI

2 - Max VERSTAPPEN

3 - Charles LECLERC

4 - Lando NORRIS

5 - George RUSSELL

6 - Andrea Kimi ANTONELLI

7 - Lewis HAMILTON

8 - Carlos SAINZ

9 - Alexander ALBON

10 - Isack HADJAR

11 - Fernando ALONSO

12 - Liam LAWSON

13 - Oliver BEARMAN

14 - Esteban OCON

15 - Nico HULKENBERG

16 - Lance STROLL

17 - Jack DOOHAN

18 - Gabriel BORTOLETO

DNF - Yuki TSUNODA

DNF - Pierre GASLY