Piastri Victorious at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Amidst Controversy

JEDDAH: Oscar Piastri triumphed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on April 21, 2025, marking his third victory this season. This win propels him past McLaren teammate Lando Norris to the top spot in the Formula One world championship standings.

The race commenced with high drama and was quickly enveloped in controversy. Verstappen and Piastri engaged in intense wheel-to-wheel racing right from the start. The Red Bull driver went wide while battling for the lead.

Stewards assessed the Dutchman a five-second penalty, determining him responsible for an initial collision with Piastri at the first corner.

This victory signifies Piastri as the first Australian to lead the championship since his manager, Mark Webber, achieved the feat in 2010. He previously secured wins in Bahrain the prior weekend and in China the month before.

Additionally, he emerges as the first racer this season to claim consecutive wins.

Oscar Piastri now enjoys a 10-point advantage over Norris, whose performance suffered due to a crash during qualifying.

The Australian now leads the standings with 99 points, followed by Norris with 89 points and Verstappen with 87 points.

In the constructors’ championship, McLaren has extended their lead over Mercedes to a substantial 77 points.

Despite starting from pole position at Jeddah’s Circuit, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a four-time champion, concluded the race 2.843 seconds behind the Australian.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc captured third place, securing the Italian team’s first podium finish of the season. Meanwhile, Norris navigated through the field from 10th on the grid to finish fourth.

George Russell finished fifth for Mercedes, succeeded by teammate Kimi Antonelli in sixth position.

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, took seventh place for Ferrari, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon crossed the finish line in eighth and ninth, respectively.

Isack Hadjar, a French rookie from Racing Bulls, completed the points-scoring positions in tenth place.

During the heat of the race, Piastri voiced his discontent to Verstappen over the team’s communication system, stating, “He needs to concede the position—I was ahead, and he was never in a position to successfully navigate that corner.”

Verstappen offered a contrasting viewpoint, telling his teammates, “He pushed me off the track; there was no chance he would have made that turn.”