PIASTRI WINS IN SAUDI ARABIA TO TAKE THE LEAD OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Formula One was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the fifth round of 2025 and the third of the triple header. In a race that normally brings drama and action throughout didn't bring quite that this year as Oscar Piastri takes his third win of the year and the Australian will leave Jeddah leading the World Championship - the first Australian to lead the Championship since Mark Webber in 2010. It was the ever present Max Verstappen who finished second and Charles Leclerc to take Ferrari's first racing podium of the year.

The front two of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen were level into turn one but Verstappen goes off and keeps ahead of the McLaren.

Meanwhile at turn two the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly of Alpine are in the wall and out of the race so early on. Tsunoda gets going again but is forced to retire after pitting and the team decide he can’t carry on, and the Safety Car is deployed.

Three laps under the Safety Car and on lap four is back in the pits. Verstappen does well to catch everyone out on the restart and was away well with George Russell pressuring Piastri but the McLaren keeps second.

Verstappen was given a five second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after the turn one incident with him and Piastri. Red Bull chose to take the penalty and serve it during the pit stop rather than bite the bullet at the time and give the position back which would of most likely given Max much more of a chance at winning this race.

Twenty two laps in and Verstappen pits - he drops into fifth and crucially behind Piastri who currently sits third and in the net race lead having pitted two laps earlier than the Red Bull.

The next race is the Miami Grand Prix.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. All images are owned by Formula One.