McLaren’s Oscar Piastri became the first Australian driver to lead the World Drivers’ Championship standings in 15 years, following in the footsteps of manager Mark Webber. Piastri claimed the lead of the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race after Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty for keeping the lead of the race after going off track at Turn 1 on the opening lap. Verstappen, who started on pole, ultimately finished P2, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who claimed his first podium finish of the season. Meanwhile, Lando Norris, successful employed an alternative tyre strategy to claim P4 after starting P10. Mercedes’ George Russell finished P5, despite his promising P3 start.
Verstappen on pole for F1 Saudi Arabian GP race
Despite McLaren dominating the three Free Practice sessions in Jeddah, it was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen who started the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race from pole position. The Dutchman enjoyed strong performances in all three Qualifying sessions, topping the timesheets in Q1 before finishing second in Q2. However, it was his Q3 performance that mattered most. He put in a strong lap in the dying seconds of Saturday’s Qualifying to push himself past McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s top time, a 1:27.294, beat Piastri’s 1:27.304 by just 0.01 seconds. Piastri, however, remained unmatched by the remaining 18 drivers. He lined up P2, alongside Verstappen.
Mercedes’ George Russell started the race from P3, alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in P4, and ahead of rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli. Despite his start from the second row, however, Russell was happy with his performance in Qualifying, noting that less that 1.2 seconds had separated the top nine. His teammate, Antonelli, however, was less forgiving of his P5 finish in Qualifying. Antonelli, who finished the session with a top time of 1:27.866, blamed a costly mistake in his final run around the Jeddah Circuit for losing the three-and-a-half tenths which could have seen Mercedes lock out the second row.
Ferrari drivers not happy with SF-25 performance in Qualifying
Instead, Leclerc, who put in a 1:27.670, claimed P4 in Qualifying. Despite this, the Monégasque driver was disappointed with the outcome, believing that the SF-25 had lacked the performance to allow him to compete for pole position. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton was similarly disappointed in the SF-25’s performance around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. After a difficult Qualifying, Hamilton started the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race from P7.
Williams Racing’s Carlos Sainz, however, was more enthusiastic about his Qualifying performance. The Spaniard enjoyed a comfortable Qualifying session, finishing P8 in both Q1 and Q2. He then improved to P6 in Q3 after putting down a 1:28.164. His teammate, Alex Albon, however, started in the midfield. He finished Q2 in P11 after missing out on the top 10 by just 0.007 seconds.
Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, joined Hamilton on the fourth row. The Japanese driver qualified P8, with his fastest lap of 1:28.204, almost a second slower than his pole-sitter teammate. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris, rounded out the top 10, with the latter failing to set a time in Q3 after colliding with the barriers between Turns 4 and 6.
Collision between Gasly and Tsunoda bring out early Safety Car
With the majority of teams considering a one-stop strategy, tyre management was a priority for the drivers, especially with a track temperature of 39°C threatening increased tyre degradation on the tricky, fast-paced track. Dusty conditions also posed a threat, with several drivers locking up during the Friday and Saturday sessions.
As the clock struck 20:00, the lights went green and pole-sitter Verstappen led the drivers around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for their formation lap. After an uneventful first run around the circuit, the 20 drivers lined up on track, awaiting the race start. Verstappen, like the majority of the grid started the race on the medium tyres. Norris, down in P10 after his Qualifying crash, however, opted to start on the white-walled hard tyres, like Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.
As the lights went out, Piastri had a strong start off the line to go side-by-side with Verstappen. A quick but fierce battle soon ensued, with Verstappen emerging victorious, to claim the lead. However, he went off track at Turn 1, and could be required to hand his position back to Piastri or risk a time penalty. Race Control noted the incident, before referring it to the Stewards for investigation.
The excitement at the front, however, was not all at the start of the race. A collision between Tsunoda and Gasly saw Gasly’s car end up in the wall, bringing out the Safety Car. Tsunoda, on the other hand, returned to the pit lane, with heavy work required to remain the damage to his car. He ultimately retired.
The remaining Alpine driver, Jack Doohan, also returned to the pitlane for a change onto the hard tyres. Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, at the back of the pack, did the same.
Penalised Verstappen retains the lead after restart
Verstappen, who was handed a five-second time penalty for the incident with Piastri, led the field after a strong restart. Piastri, on the other hand, reacted slowly, and came under threat from Russell in third. The Australian driver emerged ahead, with Russell remaining in P3. Leclerc retained P4 with Antonelli in P5 as Hamilton improved to P6, taking the place from Sainz. While unhappy with the penalty decision, as he made clear over the radio, Verstappen found himself forced to focus on the impending challenge from Piastri. The McLaren driver was fastest into Lap 6.
Further back, Leclerc found himself under threat from Antonelli, with the latter within DRS range. Norris, in a similar situation with Sainz, used his DRS to claim P7 on Lap 7. Sainz did not put up much of a fight against his former McLaren teammate, knowing that his race was with the slower cars in the midfield. Meanwhile, the incident between Gasly and Tsunoda was referred to the Stewards for investigation after the race.
A battle for P6 between Hamilton and Norris
On Lap 13, Norris, on the hard tyre, attacked Hamilton to claim P6. However, the seven-time world champion did not relent, returing the challenge to reclaim his position. Norris, however, remained on Hamilton’s tail, waiting for another opportunity to strike back. On Lap 14, Norris again stole P6, before losing it moments later to the more-strategic Hamilton.
With the two British drivers engaged in their fight with each other, Antonelli used the opportunity to pull ahead. However, Norris eventually got past Hamilton on Lap 15. He then turned his sights on the Mercedes rookie, three seconds ahead.
At the front, the battle of the lead continued, with Piastri chasing Verstappen for the lead. However, by Lap 15, Verstappen had built up a lead of over 1.5 seconds, giving himself some breathing room as the pit window for the drivers on the medium tyres opened. The drivers were keen to remain on track for as long as possible, knowing that a poor approach to their pitstops could have devastating effects on their overall race. Despite this, several complained about poor grip and overheating over the radio. Russell, running in P3, complained, “My tyres are toast.”
Bearman triggers wave of pitstops
Haas triggered the first wave of pitstops, bringing in Oliver Bearman for a change onto the hard tyres. On Lap 20, Antonelli and Piastri came in for their first pitstop. After a slow stop, Piastri emerged on track behind Hamilton. Verstappen, however, remained out, hoping to extends his lead before serving his penalty. Russell, however, pitted. He emerged P7, behind Sainz.
Verstappen finally pitted on Lap 22. While he served his penalty, his pitstop went smoothly and he emeged on track ahead of Russell, but behind Piastri and Hamilton. Piastri, having gotten past Hamilton, claimed the net lead of the race.
With the exception of the two Ferrari drivers, by Lap 23, the rest of the pack were on the hards, with only Norris, Hadjar and Hülkenberg needing to change onto another compound for the remainder of the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race. Hamilton, however, pitted on Lap 24 to change onto the hard tyre. His teammate, however, remained out. A Safety Car could play well into Leclerc’s race.
Leclerc extending the life of the medium tyres
On Lap 25, there was a close moment between Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, his manager, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and Liam Lawson in the battle for P15. Lawson emerged P15, with Bortoleto P16 ahead of Alonso. However just one lap later, Alonso passed Bortoleto to claim P16.
Up front, Leclerc, the only driver still on the medium tyres, built up a gap of over 3 seconds to Norris in P2. Having not yet pitted for his mandatory change onto another tyre compound, Leclerc was not the net race leader. However, with his lap times rapidly improving, a proper strategy could put him in contention for a podium finish. On Lap 30, however, Leclerc finally pitted to go onto the hard tyres. Norris took the lead. Further behind, Sainz claimed P9 from Stroll.
With Norris hanging on with his old hard tyres, he opened up few alternative strategies for the final stint of the race. However, with Piastri, the net race leader behind in Norris’ dirty air, McLaren could face some contention in the final laps of the race.
Norris pits on Lap 35
On Lap 35, Norris finally pitted to go onto the medium tyres. He emerged P5, being Leclerc. However, with the medium tyres having proved their durability, Norris remained a strong contender for the podium. Leclerc, meanwhile, continued to narrow his gap to Russell in P3. Bortoleto, down in P16, was shown the black and while flag for moving under braking during the incident with Alonso. Piastri, on the other hand, finally claimed the race lead, settling over four seconds ahead of Verstappen in P2.
On Lap 38 of the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race, Leclerc found himself within DRS of Russell. He campitalised on this to claim P3, before building up a gap of over two seconds to Russell. The Stewards, meanwhile, handing Lawson a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Norris, meanwhile, continued to gain on Russell. His newer mediums saw him within DRS of Russell by Lap 40. He was, however, noted for crossing the white line at the pit exit. If penalised, he could be handed a 5-second time penalty. Whether such a penalty would impact his race result, however, remained to be seen, as by Lap 42 he had passed Russell and begun to hunt down Leclerc. However, with less than nine laps remaining before the chequered flag, Norris found himself with limited opportunites to close the 3.5-second gap to Leclerc, despite being faster than the Ferrari driver.
A battle for third at the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP
On Lap 44, the Stewards concluded their investigation, noting that Norris had not crossed the white line and would not be penalised, and by Lap 45, Norris closed his gap to Leclerc to 2.5 seconds. With the leading drivers now catching the backmarkers, however, traffic could also come into play, with Leclerc especially losing time. Ultimately, however, Norris could not challenge Leclerc. He finished P4, with leclerc claiming his first podium finish of the season.
Piastri claims third win of the 2025 F1 season
After 50 laps around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Oscar Piastri was the first across the line, claiming his third win of the season, and taking the lead of the 2025 World Drivers’ Championship title. Verstappen, who started on pole, overcame an early five-second penalty to claim P2, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris improved to P4 after starting P10. This, however, was not enough to hold to his championship lead.
2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP Race results
- Oscar Piastri
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc
- Lando Norris
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Lewis Hamilton
- Carlos Sainz
- Alexander Albon
- Isack Hadjar
- Liam Lawson
- Fernando Alonso
- Oliver Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Lance Stroll
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Jack Doohan
DNF: Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda
