Although Oscar Piastri took the ultimate prize by winning the 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the first time, there were a few other winners and losers from the race.
It was a controlled race from Piastri, who took the lead after McLaren decided to pit him early to take advantage of a penalty issued for Max Verstappen.
Verstappen had been handed a five-second time penalty having duelled with the Australian on the run down to Turn 1. After both got a good start, Verstappen ran side-by-side with Piastri but elected to bail out of the corner when it was clear they were about to make contact.
Piastri stayed on the track, and the stewards judged Verstappen had left the track and gained an advantage. It ultimately cost him the race win, while Piastri took the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
Winners
Starting with the winners of the Saudi Arabian GP….
Oscar Piastri
An important weekend for Piastri to cement himself in McLaren as the man they want to back for the title, delivering his third race win of the season.
Lando Norris went into the year as the title favourite, but now Piastri has emerged as the potential candidate, especially when you consider he was close to winning in Melbourne and Japan.
McLaren didn’t have the perfect tyre strategy to beat Red Bull in qualifying for Saudi Arabia. With Piastri piling on the pressure at the start and beating Verstappen at his own game, it just shows that he has the consistency to mount a credible title challenge.
- READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc’s 29-lap stint on the medium tyres was one of the longest of anyone in the race, enabling him to go up against those ahead of him after his pit stop.
The Monogasque has worked out that these often stalemate and one-stop races require a tyre offset to rivals, so if you can extend your stint, you’ll reap the rewards later on.
That is exactly what he did to earn a podium in Jeddah, while also outclassing teammate Lewis Hamilton in the process.
- READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Williams
Williams produced a double-points finish in Saudi Arabia to propel them to fifth in the Constructors’ standings ahead of Haas and Alpine.
Carlos Sainz’s cunning plan to make use of the DRS to use teammate Alex Albon as a backstop to hold off Isack Hadjar, enabled him to take a P8 and P9 for the team.
James Vowles said the drive was reminiscent of Sainz’s famous win for Ferrari in Singapore, in which he used the same tactics to hold off George Russell and Lando Norris to take the only non-Red Bull win of the 2023 season.
- READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties
Losers
Mercedes
After George Russell’s masterclass in Bahrain, the team seemed to lack the pace of their rivals in Saudi Arabia.
Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were P5 and P6 and finished 27 seconds off the pace, only beating Hamilton out of the main teams.
The hot conditions appeared to make things worse for Mercedes, as they just went backwards from the start of the race.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso suffered another pointless race, meaning he now remains with zero points from the first five races in a season for the first time since 2015 with McLaren Honda.
The Spaniard is growing worried that it might become a trend for Aston Martin, given their car is unable to match rivals around the course of a lap or on race pace.
Without the help of Adrian Newey, who is fully focused on 2026, it appears the team is starting to turn 2025 into a year they have to grind through.
- READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2
Pierre Gasly
Flavio Briatore had lofty ambitions for Gasly to finish at least in the top five, so the opening lap crash with Yuki Tsunoda was disappointing.
It also brought an end to Gasly’s impressive crash damage record, after the Frenchman had not suffered any significant crash throughout the 2023 season.
Alpine is currently tied with Sauber in the Constructors’ Championship on six points, but they will likely be coming out of the triple header knowing there were missed opportunities.
- READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
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