Oscar Piastri managed to get through Max Verstappen to win F1 Saudi Arabian GP, as Charles Leclerc secured first podium of 2025.
It wasn’t a clean start to F1 Saudi Arabian GP under the floodlights as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen kept the lead by going off at Turn 1 run-off with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri alongside him. The Dutchman kept the lead despite pleas from the Australian, but the move was put under investigation.
He was handed a 5s time penalty for gaining an advantage just after safety car period ended. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly tried a move on the outside at Turn 4-5 but a minor kerb moment pushed him into Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda for both to spin out. The Frenchman retired after damaging his rear and side.
Tsunoda made it inside the pits but the damage to the rear was enough for him to retire. Mercedes’ George Russell, meanwhile, retained third despite a slow start ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli ran on the run-off, but gave up the position to Leclerc.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton gained couple of places to be sixth from Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who initially had Tsunoda and Gasly behind him until their incident. It allowed McLaren’s Lando Norris to jump up to eighth from Williams’ Alexander Albon and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in the Top 10.
The Brit started on the hard tyre to go long in his first stint, as several from the pack pitted to switch to the hard compound at the first chance under the safety car. The incident between Tsunoda and Gasly was put under investigation. After re-start, Visa Cash App RB’s Isack Hadjar passed Alonso for 10th.
Ahead of them, Norris cleared for seventh and in few laps, he caught the back of Hamilton for sixth. The McLaren driver passed him in the final corner on Lap 12, but the Ferrari driver came back on him in the first corner of Lap 13 to retake the place. It same ditto on the next lap between the two.
But on the next one, Norris waited until the first corner to clear Hamilton to take sixth. The McLaren driver caught up with Antonelli and passed him for fifth. Piastri took the first chance to pit him on Lap 20 to cover any threat of Verstappen, who continued on in a bid to extend his run.
Piastri had a slower stop but seemingly had track position over Verstappen due to the Dutchman’s penalty. The Red Bull eventually pitted on Lap 22 and even though he lost the F1 Saudi Arabian GP lead, he was ahead of Russell, who pitted just a lap before the Dutchman did.
Piastri had to hurry on his laps after the pit stop. He had to pass Hamilton as did Verstappen after his stop. It was Leclerc in the lead from Norris after both decided to extend their stints. There were few drivers in the Top 10 alongside the Top 2, who extended their respective stints.
Both the Williams drivers Sainz and Albon were left to pass them on the road to get themselves back in the Top 10. In one of such battles, Visa Cash App RB’s Liam Lawson tried a move on Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at Turn 1. But the Brazilian was unsighted by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard went off at Turn 1 to avoid any incident against Bortoleto where they got very close in the lead-up to Turn 1. Leclerc, meanwhile, pitted on Lap 30 in the chase of a podium against Russell and also keep Norris behind, when the McLaren driver was to pit to switch compounds.
Norris eventually pitted on Lap 35 after Piastri started to the dirty air. The Brit slotted behind Russell and Leclerc, who were close to each other. Antonelli and Hamilton steadied themselves in sixth and seventh, with Sainz and Albon in eighth and ninth, ahead of Hadjar – who pitted late in alternate strategy.
The big one to gain in the fight was Leclerc, who cleared Russell for third. The Brit soon had Norris on his tail and he eventually managed to clear him for fourth when the McLaren driver was noted for crossing the white line at pit exit. There were couple of team games being played down the order.
Sainz was instructed to give DRS to Albon, who had Hadjar chasing him for ninth on a relatively fresh medium tyre. Despite the help, the Frenchman was close on the Thai’s tail. Outside the Top 10, Haas instructed Esteban Ocon to give 13th to Oliver Bearman, in the chase of Alonso.
There was a 10s time penalty for Lawson after his move on Alpine’s Jack Doohan at Turn 1 which he did so by cutting the corner. Despite some traffic troubles, Piastri had it under control to win Saudi Arabian GP and in doing so, he took the F1 points lead away from his teammate Norris.
Verstappen managed to claw back some of the lost time to end up second by just over 2.5s. Leclerc secured his first podium of F1 2025 in third, resisting late pressure from a recovering Norris. The Brit ended up fourth after starting from 10th, as the Mercedes pair slotted in fifth and sixth.
Russell complained of high tyre degradation but managed to secure fifth ahead of teammate, with Hamilton ended up seventh, long way ahead of Sainz. The Spaniard’s help allowed Albon to keep ninth for Williams to score the double, as Hadjar climbed up to score a point in 10th.
Lawson finished 11th on the road but his penalty meant he dropped to 12th behind Alonso. Behind them, Bearman was 13th from teammate Ocon as Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was 15th from Stroll, Doohan and Bortoleto – everyone from Hulkenberg until Bortoleto finished a lap down on the leader.
UPDATE: The FIA explained the reasoning for 5s time penalty to Verstappen and why not 10s as it is normally mandated to give so. Here: https://x.com/fia/status/1914042436613025816
There was no further action in the incident between Tsunoda and Gasly. Both drivers agreed it was a normal Lap 1 incident. The stewards wanted to see another angle to it, but with Sainz’s presence in front and narrowness of the circuit, it concurred with the drivers. Here: https://x.com/fia/status/1914045582865322013
