The only real question at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was: can Max Verstappen extend his blistering single-lap pace to the entire race, or will the scales tip towards a more stable Oscar Piastri on the longer stages?
Max Verstappen made an excellent start, but so did Oscar Piastri, and given that they are two drivers with strong personalities, it was predictable that they wouldn't reach the first corner without incident. As it happened, with a slight advantage, Verstappen overtook Piastri while cutting the chicane, in an irregular manner. Before these images could be seen, the safety car was already on the track, Pierre Gasly had crashed into the wall, as had Yuki Tsunoda. Neither the Frenchman nor the Japanese driver were able to continue the race, while several drivers took the opportunity to switch to hard tires.
After the restart, which Red Bull easily won, Verstappen and his team faced a dilemma: should they give the position back to Piastri or risk a penalty? In the end, for tactical reasons, they chose the second option, but it didn't really work out for them. During the first "real" pit stops, RB received its five-second penalty, while Piastri took the lead. What happened in the pack? Apart from Charles Leclerc's long stint, nothing really stood out, but it was a pleasure to watch. The Scuderia Ferrari driver, with brilliant tire management and distribution, was already threatening the podium places in the final third of the race, and with a magnificent overtake, he also overtook George Russell. Apart from him, Isaac Hadjar and the two Williams cars also delivered above-average performances, all three remaining in the massive points zone. The final laps saw little action, one of the few being the comeback of Lando Norris, who, after gaining six positions, eventually reached fourth place.
However, he was unable to compete with the big boys, as the race was won by Oscar Piastri, who, with the other McLaren, now leads the world championship. Behind him, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were able to celebrate, all having put in exceptional performances that day.
Photo: Planet F1/ AP Photo
