The only real question of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was: Can Max Verstappen's speed from one lap carry over to the entire race, or will the balance tip towards the more stable Oscar Piasti over the longer stages.
Max Verstappen had a great start, but Oscar Piastri also behaved similarly, and with two equally stubborn drivers, it was clear that they would not get to the first corner without problems. And so it happened, Verstappen overtook Piastri, who was slightly ahead of him, illegally passing through the chicane. By the time these images appeared, the safety car had already arrived, Pierre Gasly had hit the wall and Yuki Tsunoda. Neither the Frenchman nor the Japanese could continue the race, while several drivers took the opportunity to switch to hard tires.
After the restart, which Red Bull handled without any problems, Verstappen and his team were faced with a serious dilemma: give Piastri back the position or risk a penalty? In the end, they decided on the second option for tactical reasons, but they didn't gain much. During the first "real" pit stops, RB received a five-second penalty, while Piastri moved to the lead. What happened in the pack in between? Apart from a long stretch by Charles Leclerc, nothing really significant happened, but it was a pleasure to watch. The Scuderia Ferrari driver masterfully manipulated the tires and distributed them in such a way that in the last third of the race he threatened podium positions and got ahead of George Russell with a beautiful overtake. In addition to him, Isaac Hadjar and the two Williams drivers showed above-average performances, all three of them moving in the massive points zone. There were few plot twists left for the final laps, one of which was Lando Norris, who fought his way from the back positions and eventually improved his position by six places to fourth.
But he couldn't join the big game, because the race was won by Oscar Piastri, who leads the championship with the second McLaren. Behind him, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc could celebrate, they had something to celebrate, everyone contributed something special to this day.
Photo: Planet F1/ AP Photo
