Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Piastri Victorious After Verstappen Penalty

Oscar Piastri has taken the lead in the Formula 1 championship standings for the first time, winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a five-second penalty hampered Max Verstappen`s chances of winning.

Verstappen and Piastri, starting from the front row, battled closely into the first corner of the Jeddah street circuit. However, race stewards penalized the Red Bull driver with a five-second time penalty for cutting the chicane and unfairly maintaining his lead over the quicker-starting McLaren.

Piastri consistently stayed within five seconds of Verstappen during the initial stint of the race. Consequently, Piastri moved into the lead when Verstappen served his penalty during the mandatory pit stops.

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Piastri maintained his lead over Verstappen, securing an impressive victory by three seconds. This marks his second win in two weeks and his third victory in the five races of the season. He now leads the Drivers` Championship, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

Piastri leads Norris by 10 points, with Verstappen trailing by an additional two points as they head to Miami in two weeks.

Norris, who started tenth due to a qualifying crash, recovered to finish fourth using an alternative tire strategy. He narrowly missed overtaking Charles Leclerc for third place in the final laps.

Leclerc, starting from fourth, also had a strong race, extending his first stint and overtaking Mercedes` George Russell on fresher tires to achieve Ferrari`s first podium finish of the season.

Williams achieved a double top-10 finish, with Carlos Sainz finishing eighth and his teammate Alex Albon ninth.

Sainz and Albon finished just ahead of Isack Hadjar, with Sainz strategically dropping back to provide DRS to Albon to defend against the Racing Bulls car.

The Safety Car appeared for the 100% of races since Jeddah joined the calendar in 2021. This was triggered by a first-lap collision between Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, resulting in the retirement of both drivers.

Verstappen vs Piastri – why the Red Bull driver took a penalty

With Norris starting further back due to his qualifying crash, the race was anticipated as a direct duel between Verstappen and Piastri, with the opportunity for one of them to take the championship lead.

Verstappen, usually strong off the line, faced immediate pressure from Piastri, who started second and had a slightly better start, holding the inside line for the first chicane.

As they approached the corner, Verstappen, battling on the outside, went wide over the run-off area but remained in the lead. This incident led to the stewards issuing a penalty.

“He needs to give that back. I was ahead,” Piastri quickly communicated over team radio.

Following the Safety Car period caused by the Tsunoda-Gasly incident, stewards investigated the start incident. On lap four, Verstappen received a five-second penalty to be served at his first pit stop.

“Well, that is **** lovely,” Verstappen reacted to the penalty over team radio.

Given McLaren`s expected race pace advantage, it seemed unlikely Verstappen could build a sufficient gap to negate the penalty, despite maintaining track position.

Verstappen managed to extend his lead to three seconds over Piastri. However, McLaren strategically brought Piastri in for an earlier pit stop on lap 18 to equip him with fresh tires. Consequently, Verstappen dropped to second after serving his penalty and completing his pit stop two laps later.

After Leclerc and Norris pitted from their leading positions, Piastri effectively managed his lead over Verstappen to the finish line.

“Once I got on the inside, I wasn`t coming out of Turn One in second,” Piastri commented post-race. “I tried my best. Obviously, the stewards had to get involved, but I thought I was plenty far enough up.”

“And in the end, that`s what got me the race. So, I`m very happy with all the work we`ve been doing at the starts, and that`s what won us the race.”

Verstappen briefly commented after the race: “A big thank you to the fans here in Jeddah. It`s been a great weekend. I love the track.

“The rest, it is what it is. I`m looking forward to Miami, so I will see you there…”

Formula 1 heads to Miami for a Sprint weekend on May 2-4.