Oscar Piastri delivered a composed and commanding performance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to claim victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, securing his third win of the season and taking the lead in the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.

The Australian driver’s win marks a historic moment, making him the first from his country to lead the championship standings in 15 years, a feat last achieved by his manager, Mark Webber, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

The race commenced with high drama as pole-sitter Max Verstappen and Piastri, starting alongside him on the front row, went side-by-side into the opening corner. Verstappen muscled his way into the lead after cutting the apex, a move that ultimately cost him when race stewards handed him a five-second time penalty.

While the Dutchman initially maintained track position, the penalty proved costly. Upon serving it during his scheduled pit stop, Verstappen relinquished the lead to Piastri, who had been closely shadowing him in the early stages of the race.

Lando Norris, rebounding from a heavy crash during April 19 qualifying session that left him starting from P10, briefly took control of the race. McLaren opted for an alternate strategy, placing Norris on a longer first stint with hard tyres. However, once the Briton made his switch to mediums, Piastri reclaimed the lead and began to build a gap to the chasing pack.

From there, the 24-year-old Australian managed the race flawlessly, maintaining a steady advantage over Verstappen to cross the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium, claiming his first top-three finish of the season with a solid drive to third.

Norris, despite showing impressive pace in the latter stages, was unable to overtake Leclerc and settled for fourth. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and rising star Kimi Antonelli followed in fifth and sixth, respectively. Lewis Hamilton, now racing in Ferrari colours, added more points for the Scuderia by finishing seventh.

Williams enjoyed a standout result with both drivers finishing in the points. Carlos Sainz achieved his best result since joining the Grove-based outfit, taking eighth, while Alex Albon held off a late challenge from Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar to secure ninth.

Fernando Alonso's struggles in 2025 continued as he narrowly missed out on points in P11, still searching for his first score of the season. Liam Lawson finished P12 for Racing Bulls but had his result marred by a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during a skirmish with Alpine’s Jack Doohan.

Haas teammates Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon brought their cars home in 13th and 14th, while Nico Hülkenberg finished 15th for Kick Sauber. Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, and Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the classified finishers.

The race saw early chaos, with a Lap 1 collision between Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda bringing out the Safety Car. Both drivers retired as a result, becoming the only non-finishers of the race.

With this emphatic win, Piastri now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 10 points over Norris, in what is quickly becoming an intra-team title battle at McLaren. The Australian’s rise signals a new era of competitiveness in Formula 1, as he asserts himself as a serious contender on the world stage.

By Vafa Guliyeva

Source: caliber.az