A touch of controversy always adds excitement to a motor race, and the fifth Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix certainly delivered action, particularly with a significant first-corner drama.
Max Verstappen once again produced an almost unbelievable lap to claim pole position. This was perhaps marginally assisted by a timely slipstream from teammate Yuki Tsunoda and smart strategic thinking by the Red Bull pit wall, who fueled him for two rapid runs in the closing minutes after the red flag caused by Lando Norris hitting the wall.
Most within F1 would agree that Max is currently the grid`s best driver. However, Oscar Piastri at McLaren is improving rapidly. Despite having considerably fewer race starts than Verstappen (163 fewer) and Norris (82 fewer), he has already won 10% of his 51 starts and leads the world championship. He is only going to get better.
Piastri started better than Verstappen from second place and reached the Turn 1 apex comfortably alongside on the inside line. This year, the stewards` guidelines have been refined: a driver who “wins” a corner by being sufficiently alongside is no longer required to leave racing room on the outside.
It is now the responsibility of the outside driver to yield and fall into line. This rule change was implemented to prevent outside drivers from intentionally releasing brakes or accelerating, running wide, and then claiming they were ahead but lacked space, thus forcing a penalty on the inside driver. This is exactly what Max attempted on Sunday evening.
Ultra-competitive Red Bull make misread
Nobody manipulates the regulations as effectively as Max, but this time he took a gamble and it didn`t pay off. While incidents can sometimes be debated from different angles, his acceleration across the run-off area with minimal steering lock clearly gave Max an unfair advantage and the lead.
Many, including myself, had no doubt about this, and neither did the stewards, who issued a five-second penalty. This was a reduced penalty from the standard 10 seconds because the incident occurred on the opening lap during close combat.
Verstappen ultimately finished the race with a 2.8-second lead. It`s possible he might have won by a larger margin if the team had instructed him to immediately hand back the position. On the other hand, being out front in clear air protected his components from overheating and allowed him to maintain strong pace during the first stint. Perhaps the benefit gained was deemed worth the five-second penalty.
Had there been a wall, barrier, or gravel trap on the outside of Turn 1, Max would undoubtedly have yielded and tucked in behind Piastri`s McLaren.
Max remained visibly upset about the penalty long after the race, perceiving it as a steward error and believing he was unfairly forced off despite “winning” the corner. Team boss Christian Horner echoed this frustration, fiercely defending his driver.
Their ingrained, hyper-competitive nature and conviction that they are always right explain their dominance over many seasons. However, in this instance, they misjudged the situation and lost out compared to a penalty-free scenario.
Piastri shows fearlessness
Further back, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly unfortunately collided in Turn 5, forcing both cars to retire against the wall. It was a typical first-lap incident, and I`m sure both drivers would leave more space if they had the chance to repeat the multi-corner side-by-side battle.
This incident helped Lando Norris gain a couple of early positions after his qualifying crash left him starting 10th. He was on the charge, and his starting hard compound tyres were performing exceptionally well.
He swiftly passed Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and then caught Lewis Hamilton, who had a mixed race throughout. Hamilton cleverly used the DRS detection point after the final corner to let Lando past into the corner, only to immediately use DRS to re-pass him on the long pit straight.
Eventually, Lando understood the tactic, held back, and then returned the favor on the pit straight. However, this strategic battle cost him three important laps of progress, potentially preventing a podium finish.
Norris also passed Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and closed in on Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who impressively ran his medium tyres until lap 29. Lando pursued a counter-strategy, taking his starting hard tyres to lap 34.
Piastri was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 19, followed by George Russell (Mercedes) on lap 20. Verstappen pitted from the lead on lap 21. After serving his five-second penalty, he rejoined the race in a net-second position, just over four seconds behind the young Australian, Piastri.
A cat-and-mouse battle ensued until the chequered flag on lap 50. Despite some challenging traffic, it felt like Piastri had enough pace to challenge Verstappen. Oscar executed a fantastic move on Lewis Hamilton to regain a position before Hamilton pitted. Piastri clearly shows little fear in fast corners, even when battling drivers of Hamilton`s caliber.
During his single pit stop, Norris risked penalties by flirting with the pit entry white lines and speed limit zone, and then drew the attention of race control by nearly crossing the pit exit line. He narrowly escaped penalty and, after passing Russell, resumed his chase of Leclerc.
Both Leclerc and Norris were driving brilliantly. Leclerc secured Ferrari`s first Grand Prix podium of the year, finishing just one second ahead of Lando.
Hamilton interviews hard to watch
Russell cruised home in a distant fifth after his tyres faded, finishing seven seconds ahead of his teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Overall, it was a disappointing race for Mercedes, described by the team as their worst of the season, particularly after starting third and fifth and ending up fifth and sixth.
Lewis Hamilton finished half a minute behind his teammate Leclerc in seventh. While he showed flashes of strong pace at times, his post-race interviews are difficult to watch currently. He is clearly unhappy with his performance and appears perplexed and disappointed.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) had a solid weekend, finishing in eighth place. He even seemed to strategically stay within DRS range of his former teammate Alex Albon (Williams) behind him, helping Albon fend off the impressive Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), who secured 10th place and the final point.
Haas did not score points in this race, and Williams moved up to fifth in the Constructors` Championship.
Fernando Alonso was extremely unhappy after the race, stating it was the worst experience he`d had in 25 years. He finished 11th after Liam Lawson received a 10-second penalty for passing off track and not yielding the position. This highlights how Aston Martin has lost significant relative pace since just two years ago, when Alonso was the only driver consistently challenging Red Bull.
McLaren currently leads the Constructors` Championship by 77 points, with Piastri and Norris holding the top two spots in the drivers` standings. However, if they continue to take points off each other in future races, which is highly probable, Verstappen, and potentially Russell, will be in a position to capitalize, despite McLaren`s current slight pace advantage.
Norris needs to secure victories, perhaps starting at the upcoming Miami GP, to strengthen his championship position. However, the competition is formidable and constantly improving.
Formula 1 heads to Miami for a Sprint weekend on May 2-4.
