Saudi Arabian GP: Piastri Victorious After Verstappen Penalty

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

Verstappen and Piastri, starting from the front row, battled fiercely into the first corner of the Jeddah street circuit. However, stewards penalized the Red Bull driver with a time penalty for cutting the chicane and unfairly maintaining his lead over the fast-starting Piastri.

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

Piastri maintained his lead over Verstappen, securing an impressive victory by three seconds. This marks his second win in two weeks and his third victory in five races this season. As a result, Piastri now leads the Drivers` Championship, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

Norris, who started from 10th place due to a qualifying crash, drove an impressive race to finish fourth, despite using an alternative tire strategy. He narrowly missed overtaking Charles Leclerc for third place in the final laps.

Leclerc, starting from fourth, also delivered a strong performance. After a long first stint, he overtook George Russell on fresher tires to secure Ferrari`s first podium finish of the season.

Russell finished fifth, followed by his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in sixth. Lewis Hamilton finished in seventh place, where he qualified, struggling with grip throughout the race. Despite this, Hamilton managed to hold off Norris for several laps during the McLaren driver`s recovery in the first stint.

Williams achieved a double points finish, with Carlos Sainz finishing eighth and his teammate Alex Albon in ninth. Sainz and Albon finished just ahead of Isack Hadjar, with Sainz strategically allowing Albon to use DRS to defend against the Racing Bulls car.

The Safety Car made its customary appearance at the Jeddah circuit, which has happened in every race since its debut in 2021. This was triggered by a first-lap collision between Red Bull`s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine`s Pierre Gasly, resulting in the retirement of both drivers.

Verstappen vs Piastri – Penalty Explained

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

Although Verstappen usually has strong starts from pole, Piastri, starting second, had a slightly better launch and held the inside line into the first chicane.

As they approached the corner, Verstappen, battling on the outside, went off-track at the apex but rejoined still in the lead. This incident led to the stewards` investigation.

Piastri quickly communicated over team radio that Verstappen should give the position back. After a Safety Car period caused by the Tsunoda-Gasly incident, the stewards investigated the start and issued Verstappen a five-second penalty on lap four, to be served at his pit stop.

Verstappen expressed his displeasure about the penalty over the radio.

Considering McLaren`s expected race pace advantage, it seemed challenging for Verstappen to build a sufficient gap to negate the penalty before his pit stop, despite holding the lead.

However, Verstappen managed to build a three-second lead over Piastri. McLaren opted to bring Piastri in for fresh tires on lap 18, prompting Red Bull to pit Verstappen two laps later, where he served his penalty and rejoined in net second place.

After Leclerc and Norris pitted from their temporary leading positions, Piastri effectively managed his lead over Verstappen to the finish line.

Piastri explained post-race that he was determined to gain position at the start and believed he was far enough ahead in the first corner incident. He credited the team`s work on starts as crucial to his victory.

Verstappen briefly thanked the Jeddah fans and expressed his anticipation for the Miami race.

Saudi Arabian GP Result