JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Oscar Piastri has surged to the top of the drivers` championship standings for the first time in his career, claiming his third victory of the season at Sunday`s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver triumphed over Max Verstappen in the race, capitalizing on a five-second penalty issued to the reigning champion. Verstappen was penalized for gaining an unfair advantage by leaving the track during an early battle with Piastri at the first corner.
Lando Norris, Piastri`s teammate, finished in fourth place after starting tenth due to a qualifying crash on Saturday. This result leaves Norris 10 points behind Piastri in the championship.
Piastri commented on the race, mentioning the heat and expressing his satisfaction with the win. He highlighted the importance of securing the lead at Turn 1 and praised the team`s performance after the pit stops.
He acknowledged the need for further improvements but celebrated a successful race and weekend overall.
The pivotal moment of Piastri`s victory occurred at the first corner. Starting from second on the grid, Piastri launched better than pole-sitter Verstappen, positioning his McLaren ahead at Turn 1.
Verstappen attempted to reclaim the lead at Turn 2 but was forced to cut the corner to avoid a collision, as he ran out of space on the inside.
Race stewards determined that Verstappen had gained an advantage by leaving the track and imposed a five-second penalty during his first pit stop.
This penalty proved decisive, allowing Piastri to emerge from the pit stop three seconds ahead of Verstappen. Piastri maintained this gap for the remainder of the race, securing a comfortable victory.
The win marks Piastri`s fifth career victory and extends his lead over Norris to ten points and over Verstappen to twelve points in the championship standings.
Norris made significant progress from his starting position, benefiting from a first-lap incident involving Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly.
He initially faced a challenge from Lewis Hamilton for sixth place, eventually overtaking him. Norris then executed a strategic move, utilizing fresher tires to pass George Russell for fourth place with ten laps remaining.
Norris closed in on Charles Leclerc for third place, finishing just over a second behind, but Leclerc maintained his podium position after a strong race from fourth on the grid.
Leclerc expressed his satisfaction with his podium finish, stating he maximized the car`s potential. He emphasized the team`s need for continued development and hoped for upcoming upgrades.
Russell finished fifth for Mercedes, followed by his teammate Antonelli in sixth, Hamilton`s Ferrari in seventh, and Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in eighth and ninth, respectively.
Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls secured the final point in tenth place.
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