McLaren’s Oscar Piastri cruised to the victory in the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday to move atop the driver’s championship after five races on the season.
While becoming the first driver this season to win while not starting on the pole, Piastri was well ahead of runner-up Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage early in the race.
Charles Leclerc finished third to give Ferrari its first podium of the season. Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris finished fourth, while Mercedes’ George Russell finished fifth and Kimi Antonelli was sixth.
With his third victory of the season, and second consecutive after winning at Bahrain last week, Piastri becomes the first driver from Australia to lead the drivers’ championship standings since Mark Webber in 2010. It is the first time Piastri has led the drivers’ standings in his F1 career.
Piastri, who was No. 2 on the starting grid, ultimately took the lead on the 3.8-mile track after Verstappen served his penalty during a pit stop on Lap 22. He finished off his fifth career victory in his 51st start without much of a challenge from Verstappen.
In addition to victories at Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Piastri also won the second race of the season at China. McLaren has won four of the five races after Norris won the season-opening race at Australia.
Verstappen’s runner-up finish came after he won the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in two of the previous years.
After a week off, F1 moves to the United States for the first time this season with the May 4 Miami Grand Prix.
–Field Level Media
