The 5th round of the Formula 1 World Championship concluded on
the seaside circuit located in the largest industrial city of Saudi
Arabia, Jeddah.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, Lando Norris, Oscar
Piastri (both from McLaren), and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) were all
contenders for the lead in the championship, with only 8 points
separating them. During the first free practice sessions, in
asphalt temperatures reaching 60°C under the scorching sun, Alpine
driver Pierre Gasly surprised everyone by setting the fastest lap.
However, in the following two sessions, the top three contenders
showed their true pace, and they were seen as the main favorites
heading into qualifying.
In the battle for pole position, an unexpected event
occurred—Lando Norris made a mistake in Turn 5 and had to retire
from the session. In this situation, the main contender for pole
was his teammate, Oscar Piastri, but four-time champion Max
Verstappen delivered a near-perfect lap and managed to beat Piastri
by just 0.01 seconds to claim pole.
The fate of the race was decided in the first corner.
Verstappen, who had a slow start, passed Piastri on the outside to
take the lead. However, since race stewards did not uphold the
request to give the position back, Verstappen received a 5-second
penalty. As there were no position changes until the first pit
stops, Verstappen served his penalty during his tire change and
returned to the track behind Piastri.
Despite Verstappen’s relentless pressure, Oscar Piastri defended
his lead and secured his third victory of the season. Max, starting
from pole, finished in second place.
The battle for the final podium position was intense. At the
start, George Russell of Mercedes was in third place, but later,
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who pitted later, passed him for the
position. Lando Norris, who started 10th after a crash on Saturday,
climbed up to challenge Russell and later closed in on Leclerc for
third place. However, the Monegasque driver held on to his
position, securing his and Ferrari’s first podium of the season.
Lando, on the other hand, finished off the podium for the first
time this season.
The remaining positions were filled by Mercedes drivers. Rookie
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s 6th place finish deserves special mention.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who started 7th, finished
the race in the same position. The top 10 were rounded off by
Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, along with Racing
Bulls’ Ayzek Hejer.
As a result of this race, Oscar Piastri became the new
championship leader for the first time in his career, with 99
points. He is 10 points ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, while
Max Verstappen is 2 points behind them. In the Constructors’
Championship, McLaren continues to lead with a clear advantage,
holding 188 points
Now, the teams face a two-week break before the next race, which
will take place at the Miami City Circuit in early May.