The young Australian driver secured his third win of the 2025 Formula 1 season in Jeddah, outpacing Max Verstappen thanks to clever racing and a penalty against the Dutch champion. This victory catapults Piastri to the top of the drivers’ standings, marking a significant shift in the championship battle.
Remember when McLaren was struggling just a couple of seasons ago? Those days feel like ancient history now as the papaya team continues its impressive resurgence.
A dramatic start and safety car drama
Starting from pole position after yesterday’s blistering qualifying performance, Verstappen initially maintained his lead at the beginning of the race. However, Piastri made an excellent start and pulled alongside the Red Bull driver heading into the first corner.
The battle got intense immediately. Piastri didn’t give Verstappen much room, causing the Dutch driver to run wide through the escape route while maintaining his position at the front. Both drivers quickly took to their radios to blame each other for the incident – a classic Formula 1 moment if there ever was one!
While this drama unfolded at the front, further back in the field, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly made contact, sending both cars into the wall. This brought out the safety car for several laps, bunching up the field. (You could almost feel the tension in the garages as strategies were hastily reconsidered.)
During this period, race control made their decision: Verstappen would receive a five-second penalty for not returning the position to Piastri after gaining an advantage by leaving the track. This decision would prove crucial to the race outcome.
Pit stops and race development
Verstappen managed to maintain the lead until his first pit stop, where he served his penalty. This dropped him to second place, about five seconds behind Piastri. The Australian had pitted earlier, on lap 20, switching from medium to hard tires while running more than two seconds behind Verstappen.
After all the frontrunners completed their pit stops – including Charles Leclerc who impressively extended his medium tire stint – Piastri established himself firmly at the front with a comfortable four-second lead over Verstappen. His pace on the hard compound looked rock-solid, suggesting McLaren had nailed their setup for the Jeddah track.
George Russell held third position in his Mercedes, followed by Leclerc who was running an alternative strategy. Having started on hard tires and finishing on mediums, the Ferrari driver found himself with a pace advantage in the closing stages. Lando Norris, who had started tenth, worked his way up to fifth and was looking threatening as the race entered its final phase.
Late race battles for the podium
On lap 38, Leclerc leveraged his fresher medium tires to overtake Russell for third place. A few laps later, Norris also managed to pass the Mercedes driver, moving up to fourth position.
With about 12 laps remaining, Norris found himself just over three seconds behind Leclerc and closing in on a potential podium finish. Had the race been a few laps longer, we might have seen an all-McLaren top two. Have you noticed how McLaren’s race pace has improved dramatically this season? The team from Woking seems to have found the sweet spot with this year’s regulations.
Despite his efforts, Norris couldn’t quite close the gap to Leclerc before the checkered flag, but a fourth-place finish from tenth on the grid was still an impressive achievement for the British driver.
Final results and championship implications
After 50 laps around the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Oscar Piastri took the checkered flag with a 2.8-second advantage over Verstappen. Leclerc completed the podium in third, followed by Norris and Russell.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured sixth place, continuing to show why Mercedes placed their faith in the young Italian rookie. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in the second Mercedes.
Carlos Sainz, who started from sixth, was hampered by a slow pit stop from his Ferrari team. Despite this setback, the Spanish driver showed his racing prowess by recovering lost positions with some clean overtaking maneuvers. He crossed the finish line in eighth, ahead of Alex Albon.
Fernando Alonso, starting from thirteenth, faced an uphill battle to score points. The Aston Martin driver gained two positions due to the Tsunoda-Gasly incident at the start and later passed Lawson, but lost a place to Hadjar who finished tenth and claimed the final point.
With this victory – his third of the season – Piastri now leads the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship standings. The momentum shift away from Verstappen and Red Bull toward McLaren is becoming one of the major storylines of this season. Are we witnessing the emergence of a new champion?
Looking ahead to Miami
The Formula 1 circus now takes a short break before heading to the United States for the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks’ time. Will Piastri be able to maintain his championship lead on American soil? Or will Verstappen and Red Bull strike back?
The high temperatures and unique layout of the Miami International Autodrome present different challenges compared to Jeddah’s high-speed sweeps. McLaren’s ability to adapt their package to varying circuit characteristics will be critical to their continued success.
One thing’s for sure – the 2025 Formula 1 season is shaping up to be a genuine multi-team battle at the front. With McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes all showing race-winning potential, fans are in for a treat as the season progresses.
