F1 News: Piastri wins GP of Saudi Arabia because of Verstappen penalty

Race officials handed Max Verstappen a 5-second penalty for cutting the Turn 1 corner at the start, and although he was the fastest car on the track, Oscar Piastri took the lead at the pitstops and held on to win the GP of Saudi Arabia for McLaren.

Oscar Piastri runs Max Verstappen of the Netherlands wide at the start of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool //

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 takes evasive action as Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 does not leave Verstappen one car width on his outside at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool //

While the Dutchman initially held the lead, a five-second time penalty for the maneuver saw him drop behind the McLaren man after serving the punishment at his pit stop.

The Australian becomes the new Drivers’ Championship leader with his third win and his first around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

From there Piastri was untroubled at the front, taking the checkered flag by 2.8s from the Red Bull of Verstappen, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed his maiden podium of the season.

Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren arrives in parc ferme at the F1 GP of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images)

After crashing in qualifying on Saturday, Lando Norris had to settle for fourth, despite trying to chase down Leclerc until the end.

The Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were fifth and sixth respectively. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, added to Ferrari’s points tally in seventh.

The Williams pair of Carlos Sainz Jr and Alex Albon were 8th and 9th while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounded out the top-10.

Two drivers failed to make the checkered flag, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda suffering an early exit after colliding in a first-lap incident that triggered a Safety Car.

Piastri has taken the lead in the championship by 10 points from teammate Norris, with Verstappen two markers further back.

2025 GP of Saudi Arabia Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Behind	Pts
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	50	+0.000s	25
2	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	50	+2.843s	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	50	+8.104s	15
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	50	+9.196s	12
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	50	+27.236s	10
6	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	50	+34.688s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	50	+39.073s	6
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes	50	+64.630s	4
9	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	50	+66.515s	2
10	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	50	+67.091s	1
11	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	50	+75.917s	0
12	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	50	+78.451s	0
13	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari	50	+79.194s	0
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari	50	+99.723s	0
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber Ferrari	49	+1 lap	0
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	49	+1 lap	0
17	7	Jack Doohan	Alpine Renault	49	+1 lap	0
18	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber Ferrari	49	+1 lap	0
NC	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1	DNF	0
NC	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	0	DNF	0

* Provisional results. Note – Lawson received a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.