Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Piastri tipped to lead championship

Thursday, 17 April 2025 at 08:00

Oscar Piastri will become Australia's first Formula 1 championship leader in 15 years if the McLaren racer wins for the third time this season in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Piastri, one of four drivers who could end the weekend on top after a tiring 'triple header' run of races on three successive weekends, is the only repeat winner so far in 2025.

The 24-year old has the momentum, the confidence and the car to beat leading teammate Lando Norris as he seeks to add Jeddah's fast and floodlit street circuit to Shanghai and Bahrain on his victory list.

Currently three points adrift of Norris, who has led since the Melbourne opener, Piastri won in Bahrain from pole position with fastest lap last Sunday.

He beat his teammate in Jeddah last year, finishing fourth to Norris's eighth, and is now a step away from emulating manager Mark Webber, who led the standings with Red Bull in 2010.

"Jeddah is a track I really enjoy and have good memories of from past visits. I’m determined to hit the ground running in Saudi," said Piastri.

Norris, who was highly self-critical of his performance in Bahrain despite four podiums from four starts, is also keen to pick up speed in the fifth edition of the race on the shores of the Red Sea.

"Congrats to Oscar and the whole McLaren team. And I'll try step it up for next weekend," he said last Sunday.

Final Push

Red Bull's four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Japan but eight points behind Norris, will seek to deny McLaren at a circuit that has been good to him in the past.

The Dutch 27-year-old was the winner last year, and in 2022, but this time he is more of an outsider after a tough night under the floodlights in Bahrain.

"Typically, there is less tyre degradation at this circuit, so it naturally should be a better race for us," he said. "We have a final push with this being the third race and final weekend of the triple header so hopefully we can find more pace and bring out a performance similar to Japan."

George Russell is the fourth possible leader, albeit 14 points adrift of Norris at present, with the Mercedes driver on fine form but still chasing a first win of the year.

"Jeddah poses a different challenge," said team boss Toto Wolff. "It would be foolish to try and predict the likely order but we will be aiming to fight for the podium once again."

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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who set the fastest lap in Jeddah last year, is fifth overall and 45 points behind Norris.

Further back, the weekend is an anniversary for Haas rookie Oliver Bearman who made a sensational debut at the Jeddah circuit with Ferrari as a stand-in last year.

The Briton has started his first full season strongly, scoring points in three of four races including 10th from last place in Bahrain.

"I’m very excited to return to Jeddah, it’s the first repeat race of my career which is pretty cool," he said. "Having had the experience of last year was very nice and helpful and was a highlight of my life so far, having my debut with Ferrari, that track will always hold a special place in my heart."

Every team has opened its account now but three rookies — Alpine's Jack Doohan, Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson — have yet to score along with Aston Martin's double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Jeddah will be Aston Martin's 100th in F1.

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Statistics

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Formula 1 statistics for Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche circuit, round five of the 24-race championship:

Lap distance: 6.174km. Total distance: 308.450km (50 laps)
2024 winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
2024 pole: Verstappen, one minute 27.472 seconds
2024 fastest race lap: Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari, 1:31.632
Lap record: 1:30.734 seconds (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2021)
Start time: 1700 GMT (2000 local)

Saudi Arabia

The night race on the shores of the Red Sea was first held in December 2021, with seven-times world champion Hamilton winning for Mercedes from pole.
Red Bull have won the last three Saudi races: Verstappen from fourth on the grid in 2022, former teammate Sergio Perez from pole in 2023 and Verstappen again in 2024.
Verstappen is the only driver to have been on the podium in every race in Jeddah.
The 27-turn Corniche layout is the second longest on the calendar, 800 metres shorter than Belgium's Spa, and the fastest street circuit.
The safety car has been deployed in all four races in Jeddah so far.

Championship

McLaren's Lando Norris has led the drivers' championship since he won the opener in Australia. The Briton is three points clear of teammate Oscar Piastri and eight ahead of four-times champion Verstappen.
Norris has been on the podium in every race so far.
Leaders and champions McLaren are 58 points clear of Mercedes and 80 ahead of Red Bull.
All teams have scored, with Alpine the last to do so in Bahrain.

Race Wins

Hamilton has a record 105 career victories from 360 starts. Verstappen has won 64 grands prix, twice Fernando Alonso's career tally, and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.
Piastri has won twice this season, Norris and Verstappen once each.

Pole Position

Hamilton has a record 104 career poles, his most recent in Hungary in 2023.
Norris, Piastri (twice) and Verstappen have been on pole so far this season.

Rookies

Three of the six drivers starting a season for the first time have scored so far -- Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Oliver Bearman for Haas and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar.
Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Jack Doohan (Alpine) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) have yet to open their accounts.

Milestone

Piastri won from pole with fastest lap in Bahrain on his 50th start. He could become the first Australian to lead the standings since Mark Webber in 2010.
Jeddah will be Aston Martin's 100th race, as a brand, in Formula 1.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin)