The only real question of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was: Can Max Verstappen's one-off, more-than-fast pace extend throughout the race, or will the scales tip towards the more stable Oscar Piastri over the longer stages?
Max Verstappen had a great start, but Oscar Piastri did the same, and since these were two stubborn drivers, it was clear that they would not reach the first corner without problems. And so it happened, Verstappen overtook Piastri, who was just ahead of him, illegally crossing the chicane. By the time these pictures were taken, the safety car had already arrived, Pierre Gasly had hit the wall and Yuki Tsunoda had crashed. Neither the Frenchman nor the Japanese could continue the race, in the meantime many took the opportunity to switch to hard tires.
After the restart, which Red Bull handled without any problems, the Verstappen team found themselves in a serious dilemma: give Piastri back his position or risk a penalty? In the end, they decided on the second option for tactical reasons, but it didn't help much. During the first "real" pit stops, RB received a five-second penalty, while Piastri took the lead. What was happening in the field in the meantime? Apart from Charles Leclerc's long stage, nothing really interesting, but it was a pleasure to watch. The Scuderia Ferrari driver, with brilliant tire handling and planning in the last third of the race, threatened the podium and passed George Russell with a wonderful overtake. In addition to him, Isaac Hadjar and the two Williams also performed above average, all three of them moving in the massive points zone. There were few plot holes left in the last laps, one of which was the arrival of Lando Norris, who fought his way into fourth place after improving by six positions.
But he couldn't interfere in the big game, because the race was won by Oscar Piastri, who leads the world championship with the second McLaren. Behind him, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc could celebrate, they had something, all three brought something extra to the table on this day.
Photo: Planet F1/ AP Photo
