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The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - the final race in the triple-header that also included the Japanese and Bahrain Grands Prix - takes place at an ideal moment for Oscar Piastri. The victory he secured in Sakhir, his second of the season in just four races, has brought the Australian driver to within just 3 points of the top spot in the Drivers' World Championship, currently held by his teammate Lando Norris. However, Piastri seems to be in a favorable moment, and another win on the fast Jeddah circuit would propel him to the top of the standings for the first time in his career.
"The way I appear is the way I feel. It’s been a great start to the season, and last weekend was really special - a performance I’m proud of. I’m happy with the team and the car. Pressure? No, the best way to approach the championship is to have the best weekends possible".
In the days leading up to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, there’s talk about Lando Norris’s mental concentration. While the British driver seems to be struggling with this situation, Piastri is aware of his strong mental resilience:
"I think it's one of my strengths. Yes, it's one of the strengths I believe I have. It's something that can make a difference, and I work on it. Even after the mistake in Melbourne, the following days were painful, but having such a strong weekend - in practice, qualifying - and being competitive in the race pace, it was more encouraging than disappointing".
Four races and zero podiums. The start of the season has not been what Charles Leclerc expected, but the Monegasque driver remains unfazed. He believes that the progress seen in Bahrain could help in Saudi Arabia, a more front-limited circuit compared to Sakhir, which could mask the SF-25's rear-end issues. Moreover, Leclerc believes he has found a way to make the car work and push his limits further both in qualifying and the race. This is a path he intends to continue in Jeddah, where his goal is to secure his first podium of the season, as finishing fourth doesn’t make him smile.
"Like last week, tire wear and overheating are the aspects we need to work on the most".
Leclerc said, before adding that he believes Ferrari is on the right track. The ambition of the Maranello team is to get back to fighting for victories as soon as possible, and in Bahrain, as is known, a new floor was introduced, which, according to Leclerc, wouldn't have made much of a difference on that track. However, in Jeddah, it will be different:
"We will be closer, I’m confident".
The technical conflict between Charles Leclerc, who prefers a rear-loose car, and those who are more suited to a front-loose car, was already experienced by the Ferrari team during the time of Carlos Sainz Jr. The rear instability of the car produced in Maranello has never been a problem for Leclerc, while Sainz preferred a less unstable rear axle. In the first four races of the current season, except for the Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race in China, Leclerc has always been faster than Lewis Hamilton, who was quite far from his teammate during the Japanese and Bahrain Grands Prix, both in qualifying and the race. Ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the British driver highlights that, at this moment, it is crucial for him to build confidence in the SF-25 weekend after weekend, a car that, for now, is more effective in the hands of Leclerc:
"Leclerc has been driving the Ferrari for a long time, and his driving style suits the car. He’s comfortable with the oversteering car, likes to slide the rear wheels, and it’s fascinating to watch. Plus, from the start of the weekend, he has a setup base already developed in previous years and doesn’t make many changes. I’ve tried pretty much everything with the car, I’ve figured out what works and what doesn’t. I’m trying to make progress with the setup changes I ask for during the weekend. Here in Jeddah, it’s essential to get comfortable with the track, like in Monaco and Baku. I can’t overdo it, and at the same time, I need to adapt my driving style to be effective on these corners. It will take some time, but I hope not too long".
The story of the Ferrari Scuderia has always been characterized by passion. And therefore, a victory becomes a triumph, and a season start not in line with expectations quickly turns into a crisis, while an off-beat team radio transforms into a scandal. Ups and downs that have always marked the team from Maranello. So, once again in Jeddah, as in previous weekends, Lewis Hamilton defends the team. The British driver’s analysis starts with a question from the media: Is Ferrari in crisis, or is the world around it creating one?
"The latter. On the one hand, it’s to be expected. We’re talking about the biggest team in Formula 1 history, it’s so special. Obviously, more videos are made about Ferrari, more stories are written, and people express their opinions, and not everything always goes smoothly. You can’t start working with a team and change things overnight. We want to harness the energy and passion in the team, but we also need to protect the team because we’re under more scrutiny than any other team. Everyone in the team cares so much, it’s like they’re constantly on a rollercoaster. I have no doubt we’ll get where we want to be. It will take time".
At the same time, rumors about Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull Racing as early as 2026 are nothing but speculation, according to the World Champion himself ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This is echoed by the team principal of the Anglo-Austrian squad, who states:
"There’s a perfect word to describe what’s happening, and it’s noise. There’s a lot of noise outside the team, but Max reaffirmed his commitment in the press conference, and we’re focused on making the car faster. Max is part of all of this, he’s a member of this team, and everything else is just speculation. Next year? He will absolutely be a Red Bull driver. Marko’s comments? People always have things they worry about, but as a team, we’re committed to solving the car’s issues. If we do that, (Verstappen’s future) won’t be a topic of discussion".
Later, Christian Horner also speaks about the meeting held earlier in the week at Milton Keynes to try to figure out a plan to solve the issues with the RB21:
"It wasn’t a crisis summit, but we simply gathered with the engineers to discuss what happened in the race. We have many meetings to logically discuss what happens because there are always engineering solutions to engineering problems. Of course, we’re not where we want to be, and we’ve had difficulties with the car, which we’re working hard on. We know what’s causing these difficulties, and we’ll introduce a series of updates in the upcoming races to resolve them quickly".
Updates are expected with a more substantial package for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, though it’s more likely they’ll arrive starting with the Spanish Grand Prix, a crucial race to understand if the development direction of the RB21 will allow Verstappen to fight for the title. Meanwhile, in Jeddah, Red Bull’s general director, Oliver Mintzlaff, is present in the paddock to show the company’s support for the team. However, the team will remain firmly under the leadership of Christian Horner, regardless of Verstappen's future decisions, as per the will of the majority shareholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya. After a frustrating weekend in Bahrain, which culminated in pit stop errors and controversies with his staff and Red Bull, Max Verstappen is ready and eager to race in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The tradition favors the Milton Keynes team, but there is a McLaren that’s tough to beat and a World Champion who can’t perform heroics every weekend, like in Suzuka.
"I hope it goes a little better than Bahrain. There are more high-speed corners here, a different asphalt, I hope for a bit more competitiveness and maybe a middle ground between Suzuka and Sakhir. We struggled a bit with the balance on corner entry and mid-corner, they weren’t what I wanted. We’ll try to fix it and improve it, I’m not sure how much we can fix here, but I hope the asphalt helps us a bit in this regard. We’re experienced enough to focus on this year and next, but we’re still trying a few things with the car. Besides bringing new parts, there are things we can improve on the setup level as well. It’s a constant improvement process, we’re trying, and we’ll try again this weekend".
After the controversy that emerged in the aftermath of the Bahrain Grand Prix, rumors about Max Verstappen's potential departure from Red Bull Racing before his contract expires (in 2028) have resurfaced. However, the World Champion dismissed these rumors during the press conference before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In Jeddah, the Dutch driver reiterated that he is currently focused on improving the car and not thinking about the 2026 season, which will be the first year with the new technical regulations.
"Why is Helmut Marko afraid I might leave? I don’t know, honestly. I’m just trying to keep working and improving the car. The Bahrain weekend was certainly not a great one for us; we were all quite disappointed by that, but we’re still trying to improve the car, bringing in new ideas to test. The competition is tough, but that’s how I approach my weeks, trying to improve the situation. I’m not thinking of leaving Red Bull: you focus on the commentary, I’ll focus on driving, and there’s no need to think about other scenarios. A lot of people talk about my future, except me. I just want to focus on my car, work with the people who are part of the team, that’s all I’m thinking about right now in Formula 1. And I’m very relaxed".
In Bahrain, Yuki Tsunoda achieved his first entry into Q3 as a Red Bull Racing driver, earning points for the Milton Keynes team, in addition to the points scored by Max Verstappen. In Jeddah, Helmut Marko predicts a particularly challenging race for Red Bull Racing, although the characteristics of the circuit should allow the RB21 to be neither as brilliant as at Suzuka, nor as difficult as in Sakhir. On the eve of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Tsunoda outlined his goal for the weekend:
"I want to be more consistent in free practice, not have the highs and lows I had, especially in Bahrain. Those highs and lows don’t help the driver, but especially the team, to ‘build’ the weekend toward qualifying".
Asked whether Red Bull Racing cars are really as difficult to drive compared to the Racing Bulls, Tsunoda responded:
"You need to put this question into context. I think the right answer is that the Red Bull is not a difficult car to drive, but it’s difficult to bring it into the correct operating window. Verstappen makes the difference exactly in this, he manages to get something or at least a good performance from the car even if it’s not in the correct operating window, and this shows especially in qualifying. The fast lap in a Red Bull is not complicated in itself, but the preparation for that lap, however, is very complicated".
A ninth-place finish will certainly not change the season for Red Bull Racing or Yuki Tsunoda, but the result at the end of the Bahrain GP can at least be seen as a small encouraging sign for the young Japanese driver. Tsunoda, who didn’t make it into Q3 or score points at Suzuka in front of his home crowd, managed to hit both goals in Sakhir. He returned the second car to the top-10, something that hadn’t happened since the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Sergio Perez finished tenth.
So, not an exceptional result, but one that shows a slight improvement from the team’s second driver. This is also acknowledged by the team principal of the Anglo-Austrian team, Christian Horner:
"I think Yuki Tsunoda had a very consistent weekend. He qualified in the top 10, finished in the points, and drove very well. He was only 12 seconds behind his teammate at the end of the race, so I think Yuki’s race was reasonable".
Red Bull Racing’s goal is to improve the RB21 with the first significant update package, which is expected to debut on track at Imola.
"Yuki doesn’t have a reference from a 2023 or early 2024 car to draw from, but he’s still providing good feedback to the engineers. His comments largely align with the feeling Max has, and the areas where Yuki Tsunoda feels limited are the same areas where Verstappen says improvements are needed".
On the eve of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, George Russell spoke candidly on various topics, providing a clear overview of the current state of affairs both on and off the track. Here are his words.
"We were confident that we had developed a more versatile car over the winter, one less affected by variations in temperature, circuit types, or tire compounds, and Bahrain gave us the definitive answer. We have an all-around car that can be competitive in almost any condition because we’ve raced on different circuits and in different conditions. However, we don’t yet have the car to fight for the championship. McLaren had the potential for four double podiums, but by making mistakes here and there, they left the door open, and Max and I slipped in. It’s very exciting to know that we are all very close, and that the last tenth in qualifying can make or break your weekend. So far, I’ve achieved two front-row starts and ended up on the podium in those races, and I’m very proud of that. Here in Saudi Arabia, I expect Red Bull to be back at the forefront because the asphalt is smooth, and the circuit is fast, a bit like Suzuka. I’m also happy that Pirelli has brought softer tire compounds".
Regarding the driver market, the British driver said:
"Yes, I’ll be racing with Mercedes this weekend, and also the next one, and I expect to be with Mercedes at Silverstone as well. That’s the point. There’s often a lot of fuss when a driver announces a contract or renewal, but for drivers, what matters is performance. If you have a contract but you’re slow, you get kicked out, even if you have a contract. I focus on performance, and everything else will follow".
After three consecutive top-ten finishes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli couldn’t make it back into the top ten in Bahrain. The Italian driver could certainly have something to complain about regarding some unfortunate episodes and the team’s strategic decisions (mistakes acknowledged by team principal Toto Wolff), but he prefers to see the latest race as a learning opportunity, showing concentration, humility, and composure in his words.
"It’s going to be a pretty fast track, I won’t lie, but also very exciting. This track is really high intensity, so it will definitely be important for everyone to try and find the right rhythm and start the weekend positively. I’m really looking forward to it. Bahrain was definitely the hardest race of the season so far; obviously, many things didn’t go our way, but overall, I saw where I could have done better, especially in tire management. Of course, the approach you need when following other cars is very different; it was a good learning experience, and I hope this will be a good weekend. Sakhir, though, was a good step forward, at least in qualifying, because I finally felt more comfortable".
And he adds:
"Maybe I pushed a bit too much at the start of Q3. Overall, this is a real street circuit, and it’s my first time with an F1 car. Even though I know it, driving an F1 car on it will be quite different from F2. However, the car has been consistent so far on different types of tracks, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t think we can fight for a good position. The goal is definitely to start the weekend well with good rhythm, especially because it’s a street circuit, and try to build on that base, session after session, for a better result than Bahrain".
On Friday, April 18, 2025, the drivers and teams are greeted by hot and humid conditions as the session gets underway at 4:30 p.m. local time, with Haas’ Esteban Ocon leading the pack out amid a busy start at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The majority sport the medium tyre for their initial laps. There are some close encounters with the walls during the early stages for drivers like Gasly and Lewis Hamilton, while Oscar Piastri - the race winner last time out in Bahrain - faces an issue of a different kind after reporting that his drink is leaking in his helmet. Ollie Bearman, meanwhile, experiences a lock-up in the Haas - on his return to the track where he famously made his F1 debut for Ferrari last year - before Piastri asks the McLaren team to check his car, explaining that he touched a wall a little bit. George Russell has gone fastest after the first runs with a lap of 1'29"674, putting him 0.306s ahead of Norris, while Max Verstappen follows in third. Carlos Sainz goes on to displace Norris in second after switching to the soft tyres, with the Spaniard seeming to get more comfortable with the Williams as he continues to adjust to his new car. Attention then starts to turn to the soft-shod runs for many others, with Norris promptly setting a new benchmark via his effort of 1'29"246 - three-tenths ahead of Russell and four-tenths clear of teammate Piastri. Gasly subsequently causes a stir by shooting to the top of the timesheets by a mere seven-thousandths from Norris, the Frenchman arriving into the weekend after scoring Alpine’s first points of the season with a P7 result in Bahrain.
There is a moment for Sainz when the Williams driver encounters a slow-moving Ferrari on the track, with the four-time race winner voicing his concerns about the incident over the radio. The Racing Bulls, meanwhile, leave their soft tyre runs until late in the session, with Isack Hadjar unhappy after having to abandon his initial effort amid traffic on the circuit. It is ultimately Gasly who remains unbeaten in P1 thanks to his lap of 1'29"239, with Norris and Piastri putting their McLarens in second and fourth while Leclerc splits the papaya cars in third. Alex Albon is the lead Williams in fifth ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who reports something feeling weird under braking in his W16. Sainz claims P7, ahead of Hamilton in P8 and the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda in P9 and P10. Liam Lawson is 11th - the Racing Bulls driver is set to be investigated after the session for an alleged failure to follow the Race Director’s instructions, namely allegedly entering the painted area between the pitlane and the track. Having just missed out on top spot in Free Practice 1, Drivers’ Championship leader Norris hovers towards the top of the times throughout FP2, which is held in the cooler, more representative evening conditions. Norris moves to the top on the medium tyre in the opening minutes, his 1'29"272 just fractions shy of Pierre Gasly’s session-best from FP1, which the Alpine driver achieved on the soft rubber. Oscar Piastri moves to within 0.001s of his McLaren teammate, also with the help of the medium tyre approaching the 15-minute mark, with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari best of the rest more than two-tenths further back. Traffic becomes an issue for many on the high-speed circuit, with Norris notably held up by Max Verstappen and commenting on his radio:
“Why does no one use radios at all?”
Meanwhile, Alex Albon is also impeded by Lewis Hamilton, an incident the Ferrari driver has been called to the stewards over following the session. Leclerc moves to the top approaching the 20-minute mark of the one-hour session on a 1'29"002 before drivers switch to the softest tyre compound. George Russell is first of the leading runners to make the swap and lowers the benchmark to a 1'28"973 after complaining of some high-speed bouncing.
Times continue to tumble, with Carlos Sainz, Verstappen, and Piastri all occupying the top spot approaching the halfway point in proceedings before Norris usurps them all with a 1'28"340. The Briton lowers the benchmark further on the red-marked tyre, moving his best down to a 1'28"267, which remains fastest until the chequered flag as drivers focus on long runs. Piastri finishes 0.163s in arrears with Verstappen a further tenth behind, as Leclerc heads Ferrari’s charge in fourth followed by an impressive showing from Williams driver Sainz. Tsunoda claims sixth but finishes the session in the barrier at the final turn after the Red Bull Racing driver clips the wall on the inside, breaking his suspension, which sends him into the barrier on the exit. The end of the red flag period leaves just over a minute remaining, with drivers scrambling out to take practice starts but not altering the order. Russell, Alpine’s Gasly, Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, and Albon round out the top ten, with Kimi Antonelli down in 11th nearly a second behind after the Mercedes driver makes contact with the wall on the exit of the final turn but escapes unharmed. In the never-ending McLaren derby that’s defining the start of this season, the first round of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - the one that doesn’t count for points or grid position, but can make a difference in terms of confidence on such a unique and challenging track like Jeddah - was won by Lando Norris. In the two Free Practice sessions held on Saudi soil, the British driver was consistently ahead of his teammate, Oscar Piastri. Norris clocked the second-fastest time in the afternoon session, behind only Pierre Gasly, with Piastri finishing fourth, and then topped the timesheets in the evening session, just ahead of his teammate-rival. The end-of-day comments from both drivers seem to reflect these results, with the World Championship leader appearing more satisfied with the work done compared to Piastri.
"I’ve had a good start to the weekend and a productive first day on track, where I got comfortable with the car and built up confidence. We’ve got some good data as we completed plenty of laps, so I’ll keep working hard overnight with the team, focusing on the different areas we’ve identified in preparation for qualifying".
Oscar Piastri’s path was more complicated, but he also seems to have found a good level of confidence with the MCL39 on the fast and demanding Saudi track:
"It was a slightly tougher day, but I think the car’s pace is good. Our rivals don’t seem far off, so we just need to tidy up a few things to put ourselves in the best possible position for qualifying. We’ll analyze everything and prepare as best we can for Saturday".
Scuderia Ferrari arrives in Jeddah at a challenging point in the season. After four Grands Prix, they have yet to secure a podium finish, and the Maranello team is currently in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship standings. This is certainly not the situation expected back in winter when all the attention was on the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. However, the reality is proving difficult for the Maranello team, and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could represent a crucial turning point at this stage. In this regard, Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur analyzes the performance of the SF-25.
"As always, we want to make a step forward compared to the previous weekend. In the last Grand Prix, we improved, but we were not consistent enough throughout the entire weekend in every condition; we had very good stints and others that were less so. Now it’s all about tire management, in my opinion: the car has potential, we just need to do a better job extracting it".
Vasseur confirms his stance that the SF-25 doesn’t lack raw speed potential, but rather the ability to fully extract that potential from the car. The French manager then commented on Lewis Hamilton’s remarks, who, after the race in Sakhir, publicly expressed his difficulties in adapting to the new car.
"The issue with driving style? It’s true for Lewis, but it’s true for everyone. Drivers definitely need to adapt their style to the track, the car setup, the balance, and so on, but the team must do the same work in the opposite direction. We are working as a team with both Lewis and Charles, and we are making progress together".
On the first day of Free Practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, McLaren occupies the top two positions in the timesheets, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. In third place is the Red Bull Racing of Max Verstappen, 0.3 seconds behind. Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth at the end of the second session, is 0.5 seconds off the leader. It should be noted, however, that Leclerc did not fully exploit the potential of the SF-25 with the Soft tires, as his best lap was set on his third attempt with the softer compound. From Charles Leclerc’s words, there is an underlying confidence, especially regarding the fast lap, but it will be crucial to put everything together ahead of Qualifying.
"It’s been a good day, definitely complicated, of course, because it’s a very challenging track and confidence has to be very high to express yourself at your best. We changed quite a bit on the car, but it was a very positive day because I learned a lot. Once we put everything in the right window, we should be able to extract more performance. McLaren, once again, seems very strong, much stronger than us. But never say never. If I put everything together, I think anything is possible".
Regarding the changes made to the Ferrari SF-25, the Monegasque driver specifies:
"We did a good job exploring different options, and it’s quite clear in my mind what I want to do for tomorrow. So, we will go in that direction and hope it pays off in qualifying. We are a bit behind in terms of pace compared to the cars ahead of us, but if we put everything together tomorrow, it should be a close qualifying session. We all seem to be quite close, with McLaren one step ahead. We will focus on ourselves and see what we can extract from the car tomorrow".
Lewis Hamilton arrived in Jeddah hoping to find a better feeling with his Ferrari SF-25 after an uncertain start to the season. But the first two Free Practice sessions did little to boost his confidence in the car: the British driver ended up in P13, over a second behind Lando Norris. The seven-time World Champion struggled to perform at his best on the Soft tyres, and in post-session interviews he appeared rather discouraged - so much so that he indicated a top-10 finish in Qualifying as his target.
"Today didn’t go the way we hoped. I think getting the tyres to work properly was really tough for me. We just struggled to get the tyres into the right window. So far on Saturdays I’ve always gone backwards, but this time there’s not much further back to go from where I am now. I hope we can make some good improvements between now and tomorrow. There were moments in the session where I felt good, but I still haven’t found the right feeling with the Soft tyres. We’ll have to make some changes overnight and I hope we see the results tomorrow".
Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ran different programmes on their respective cars:
"We’ll be working tonight to assess everything. We’re trying different things on the two cars so we can come together on the best setup. Things like wing settings and so on. So hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a better understanding after tonight’s analysis. Right now, I’m just aiming to make it into the top 10".
The practice sessions held at the Jeddah circuit suggest that the Red Bull Racing team has slightly more competitive cars compared to the ones that underperformed in Bahrain.
At the end of FP2, Max Verstappen recorded the third-fastest time, and even Yuki Tsunoda - despite ending his session early after hitting the walls of the Saudi track - managed an impressive sixth-fastest time. Speaking about the work done throughout the day, the reigning World Champion explained that the team is still searching for a solution to the puzzle. Some of the attempts to improve the RB21’s setup seem to be working, but a complete solution to the issue - especially regarding race pace - still appears elusive.
"We tried a few different things with the car and worked to find a different direction. I think we learned a lot from these two sessions, but we’re still not at the point where we want the car to be. I believe, in the end, it comes down to how the car feels and what you’re getting out of it. On a single lap, it’s a bit better, but the long runs are still difficult. Compared to Bahrain, the grip levels and the car setup are completely different, so it’s very hard to draw a direct comparison to last week - but it’s clear that we want to be faster. It’s hard to say how competitive we’ll be in qualifying; the McLarens look really strong. There’s still some work to do and things to figure out, so we’ll see".
The second Free Practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ended almost ten minutes early due to an incident involving Yuki Tsunoda, fortunately without any consequences for the Red Bull Racing driver. The Japanese driver made a mistake at low speed at the entrance to the final corner of the Jeddah circuit, hitting the inside barrier with his left front wheel, damaging the suspension. At that point, with the car no longer responding, hitting the outer wall was inevitable. Tsunoda immediately reassured his team over the radio, stating that he was fine. The last-minute return to the track for the drivers wasn’t enough to improve their performances, with Tsunoda finishing in sixth place, almost 0.7 seconds behind Norris.
"I overcooked it in the corner and hit the wall. I damaged the car and unfortunately had no more control. I apologize to the team, the pace seemed good, and it’s a shame. The confidence was quite good, but my last attempt was compromised by the tire warm-up. I had limited time to do the race simulation, which I finished by myself, so I can’t complain. I definitely would have liked to end it on a better note".
On the eve of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was very straightforward in downplaying the rumors that exploded after Red Bull Racing's nightmare weekend in Bahrain.
"My main problem is that the car isn’t competitive, but that’s the same issue for every team member - we all feel the same way".
Added Verstappen, emphasizing that he doesn’t feel alone at Red Bull Racing, unlike perhaps a year ago when he had tried to warn the engineers that tougher times were coming.
"I’m not planning to run away right away".
Among the possible destinations for Max Verstappen is Mercedes, and George Russell would be the most likely candidate to step aside, as it’s hard to imagine the team sacrificing Andrea Kimi Antonelli - especially now that the Italian driver has debuted directly with the works team in Formula 1 and has already delivered some solid performances. On this topic, Russell responded very candidly:
"It would be totally understandable if Mercedes tried to sign Verstappen - he’s currently the best, and he’s a four-time World Champion. I’m not worried for myself, because my currency is performance, and right now I’m performing at least as well as any other driver on the grid. I’ve already been teammates for three years with a multi-time World Champion - the greatest of all time. I believe I can beat anyone if I’m given the right conditions. I feel sorry for those who need a contract to feel secure, because that means they clearly don’t believe in themselves enough. I believe in myself immensely".
It was a relatively disappointing day of practice for the Mercedes team at the Jeddah circuit, especially in terms of results for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian driver finished both sessions outside the top 10, ending FP1 in P13 and slightly improving under the floodlights of the Saudi track in FP2, but not going beyond P11. For Antonelli, it was his debut behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car on one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, as acknowledged by the rookie himself at the end of the day:
"It was quite a difficult day. It was hard to get many clean laps in, but I’m satisfied with what we managed to achieve. We worked on a lot of details and I was able to build some confidence on track. It's a circuit that requires a lot of confidence at high speeds, and you need to keep the car close to the walls. Overall, it was positive, although I did get a little too close to the wall coming out of the last corner on my final lap on the Soft tyres in FP2. I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend. It looks like a tight battle, with many of our competitors behind McLaren. We don’t know the others’ fuel loads or Power Unit modes, so we just need to focus on ourselves. We’ll work hard analyzing the data overnight and try to come back stronger on Saturday".
His teammate George Russell placed higher in the standings, finishing P6 and P7 in FP1 and FP2 respectively. The British driver, who also addressed rumors about a potential move to Mercedes for Max Verstappen, focused mainly on the work done on Friday, admitting he faced several challenges:
"It was a bit of a messy day on our part. We didn’t get many clean laps in due to traffic and a few runs where we didn’t get the best out of the tyres. We tried different setups on both cars, which was definitely a valuable learning experience for both Kimi and me. I think we’ve now found the right direction. We were probably stronger in FP1 than FP2. We didn’t make the step forward we were hoping for with the car, but there’s nothing we can’t improve overnight to come back stronger for qualifying tomorrow. It was a shame we couldn’t gather long-run data because of the red flag in FP2, but everyone else is in the same boat. It’s not controversial to say McLaren looked clearly ahead, but hopefully we can still fight for the top spot going into the weekend".
On Saturday, April 19, 2025, Free Practice 3 takes place in hot 30 °C conditions as the sun begins to set over the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The final opportunity to make set-up tweaks gets under way at 4:30 p.m. local time. While the majority of the field opts to remain in the garages during the early stages of the session, Gabriel Bortoleto hits the track immediately, attempting to make up time after a fuel leak in his Kick Sauber forces him to miss the more representative FP2. Jack Doohan is the first driver to complete a lap on the Pirelli soft tyres, with the Haas pairing of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman also choosing to burn a set early, as Aston Martin sends out Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to bed in some medium rubber. With 10 minutes gone, Lewis Hamilton heads out to discover if overnight improvements have transformed his prospects after struggling on Friday. Although his initial effort falls short of Bearman’s then-target time by 0.115s, it puts him half-a-tenth clear of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc – who has a near miss with the wall at the final corner in a moment of wild oversteer. As the track grows ever more busy, the times tumble, with Piastri and Norris leading the way before Max Verstappen usurps the duo by 0.045s. Setting up an intriguing Qualifying session, drivers find time on their second timed efforts on the soft tyres following one or two cooldown laps. This process also highlights how traffic can be an issue later on Saturday, with Isack Hadjar one driver caught out by a slower car when on a timed effort. Cautious of the threat of yellow or red flags, teams send drivers out onto the track for their second runs on fresh soft tyres with 17 minutes remaining. George Russell reveals Mercedes’ hand with a 1'28"214 to briefly move to the top, before Piastri betters this by 0.701s with a 1'27"513 - an effort that Norris falls 0.158s short of. But in the closing stages, Norris finds time and reverses those positions, with his session-best 1'27"489 putting him 0.024s clear of Piastri. Having found an extra tenth, Russell improves to third, while Verstappen benefits from a tow to go fourth, although still 0.845s off the pace. Hamilton’s struggles continue on the second runs, as he ends the session four tenths and seven places behind fifth-placed Leclerc.
In 12th, Hamilton’s gloomy Friday feeling that he is simply trying to reach the top 10 and make Q3 looks like an increasingly difficult task. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz continue a strong weekend for Williams in sixth and seventh, while Pierre Gasly backs up his FP1-topping pace by again featuring in the top 10. Yuki Tsunoda bounces back from his FP2 crash to go ninth fastest, 1.181s off Norris but within 0.3s of teammate Verstappen. With the final practice session of the weekend now complete, the drivers and teams have a final chance to debrief before returning to action for Qualifying at 8:00 p.m. local time. After three busy practice sessions across the weekend, attention turns to Saturday evening’s all-important Qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Ocon leads the pack out for Haas as the 18-minute Q1 segment gets underway at 8:00 p.m. local time, with everybody sporting the soft tyre for their initial runs on a track that has slightly cooled since FP3 from 52 °C to 38 °C. After all 20 drivers put a lap on the board, it is Piastri who goes fastest with a 1'28"019 - and the gap back to teammate Norris is again tantalisingly close, standing at just seven-thousandths of a second, while Verstappen sits a tenth off in third. As Norris then displaces Piastri at the top, Hadjar has a moment, the Frenchman reporting that he has hit the wall in his Racing Bulls. Meanwhile, some of his fellow rookies find themselves in the drop zone, with Doohan, Lawson, Gasly, Ocon and Bortoleto all at risk of elimination as the final minutes tick down. There is trouble at Alpine, with replays showing Gasly leaving the garage with a tyre warmer still clinging to his front right tyre, prompting a member of the crew to remove it before the French driver heads out. While Verstappen surges to the top with a 1'27"778, the battle continues for those trying to escape the drop zone. Gasly has a close call with the walls in his attempt - but his determination pays off, as he climbs into the top 10. Hamilton also finds himself on the bubble before hauling himself up the order - as does Leclerc - but others are pushed downwards when their competitors improve. Stroll misses out on Q2 in 16th place, with Doohan unable to make the cut in 17th. Hulkenberg and Bortoleto sit 18th and 20th respectively - the latter apologising to his Kick Sauber team after suffering a spin at Turn 1 - with Ocon sandwiched between them in a disappointing 19th for the Haas driver. Albon is the first to hit the track as Q2 begins, with the Williams driver amongst those to have a nail-biting brush with the wall in Q1.
Lawson, meanwhile, is noted for an unsafe release in the pit lane before the incident is dismissed by the stewards. Verstappen initially looks to continue his stint at the top of the timesheets until Norris displaces the Dutchman during the first runs, the Briton pumping in a 1'27"481 to go four-hundredths clear of the Red Bull driver. Things are not going entirely smoothly for Verstappen, who asks the team to check the plank of his car after hitting it hard out on track over a kerb. Further back, the drivers in the drop zone are Gasly, Bearman, Hadjar, Alonso and Lawson. Antonelli - on the bubble in 10th - looks to escape danger and improves to fifth, while Sainz moves up to sixth. Hadjar cannot make it through, but an improvement from Lawson to 10th puts Hamilton at risk. Just moments later, the seven-time World Champion hauls himself up into the top 10 and, as others continue to better their previous efforts, Albon is pushed down to 11th - missing out by only 0.007s to Hamilton - and Lawson also slips down the order to 12th. Alonso misses the cut in P13, while Hadjar and Bearman are the other drivers eliminated in P14 and P15 respectively. After an exciting build-up, it is time for the top 10 shootout. Piastri is keen to get going, the Australian leading the field out for their first efforts. But just as the McLaren driver puts an early timed lap on the board, drama strikes when Norris hits the wall, the Briton having a small moment over the kerbs that proves enough to send him into the barriers at the exit of Turn 5. After a red flag is thrown and Norris - who reports that he is okay - is brought back to the pits, the rest of the pack prepare to go again with just over eight minutes left on the clock. Initially, it looks like the answer to that question is yes, the World Champion beating Piastri’s previous effort by a mere one-thousandth of a second. Most of the remaining drivers opt to go for just one flying lap, setting up for a thrilling end to Qualifying as the nine that are left hit the track. Russell is the first to put himself in P1 as the final runs play out, before Piastri surges through to retake the position. However, Verstappen is still on his lap - and promptly clinches pole with a time of 1'27"294 to beat Piastri by just 0.010s. This pushes Piastri and Russell down to second and third respectively, while Leclerc and Antonelli round out the top five. Sainz takes an impressive sixth in the Williams, with Hamilton, Tsunoda and Gasly following from seventh to ninth. Norris, meanwhile, is 10th, having been unable to get a lap on the board prior to his session-ending crash.
Ten thousandths of a second can make all the difference - especially on a psychological level. And so, Max Verstappen bounces back after a disappointing performance in Bahrain, clinching another stunning pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The World Champion, also helped by teammate Yuki Tsunoda - who gave him a crucial slipstream during the final Q3 attempt - pulled off a repeat of his Suzuka masterpiece by putting the nose of his Red Bull Racing car ahead of the McLarens. Well, McLaren in the singular: Oscar Piastri’s, since Lando Norris crashed out dramatically at Turn 5. In short, a big result. It may not guarantee victory - the Jeddah Corniche Circuit allows plenty of overtaking - but it certainly provides a huge morale boost to the team in a difficult period, silencing talk of a possible early departure at the end of the season. It shows that Red Bull Racing is still in the fight, still playing as a team, and when everything clicks, still capable of beating McLaren - even a team that came in as strong favorites after Free Practice but faltered slightly in Q3. The aim now is to push in the race and recover championship points - at least against Lando Norris, who will have to start from tenth on the grid.
"I’m really happy - honestly, I didn’t expect to be here. After FP3 and the whole weekend, I didn’t think pole was on the cards. But the car came to life overnight - we made some last-minute changes, and it became much more enjoyable to drive. I found better grip lap after lap. Stringing a lap together here is tough, with all the barriers - you have to be perfect. It’s really satisfying to get pole here. It’s clearly the best possible position for tomorrow, though I think it’ll be hard to keep the others behind. We’ll definitely try. It was a solid qualifying, much better than in Bahrain, and we’ll aim to do well in the race. Let’s see what we can achieve".
Lando Norris’ crash at the start of Q3 looked like it might hand pole position to Oscar Piastri - but instead, Max Verstappen showed up once again. Speaking just after qualifying, Piastri gave credit where it was due.
"I was pretty happy with my lap. Honestly, there wasn’t much more I could have found - I’m happy with the job I did. We were playing catch-up in the first part of qualifying, and then the last lap felt like the best I could do".
The difference, most likely, came down to Tsunoda’s slipstream. In sector 1, Verstappen was 0.123s ahead of Piastri.
"I think Max did a great job. This is a high-speed track, and they seem to have a bit of an edge here, but he executed it really well. But it’s all still up for grabs - we’ve got good race pace. It’ll be a tough race. The tires are softer than last year, so we’ll see if that works in our favor. Putting together a perfect lap here? It’s tough. You’re right on the edge, and it’s easy to overdo it. One mistake can mess up your whole rhythm. Definitely a challenging track - but driving at night, with soft tires and this much grip, it’s one of the best circuits. I still have so much adrenaline, I’m shaking after driving these streets - but it’s going to be a fun race tomorrow".
It seemed like Saudi Arabia might be the race where Lando Norris could turn things around after a few tough outings, particularly compared to teammate Piastri. The weekend started well for the Briton, with promising signs in Free Practice and early qualifying. But it all unraveled at the beginning of Q3, when he hit the wall between Turns 4 and 5 during his first timed lap. A minor mistake - too much force over a kerb - but it cost him dearly. He’ll now start the race from tenth.
"I’m fine physically. I went to my engineers and apologized".
His focus quickly shifted to the race, where the goal now is damage limitation:
"We’ve tried to put together a good strategy, and we’ll give it a go tomorrow. But we’ll also need some luck. It’s hard, if not impossible, to overtake here, so I’m not expecting anything magical. But we’ve got a good car, and if we can climb back to the top five or six, we’ll be happy".
As for a podium finish? Norris isn’t optimistic:
"Oscar’s not on pole, so clearly our real pace isn’t significantly better than Max’s. George wasn’t far off either, so catching them probably isn’t realistic. But top-5 or top-6 is the goal".
Free Practice results suggested McLaren was set for pole - maybe even a front-row lockout. But that didn't materialize. After finishing only P6 in Sakhir, Norris couldn’t even complete a flying lap this time. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the setback but remains hopeful for a comeback, thanks to strong race pace shown in long runs:
"Lando pushed a little too hard in a corner that’s not forgiving. Once he hit the outside kerb, he became a passenger. But if we can get him some clean air and execute the strategy, we can use Friday’s strong race simulation pace to recover. Hopefully, we can capitalize on that".
Stella also dismissed any suggestion that Norris’ mistake was linked to internal team pressure from Piastri:
"I wouldn’t say there was pressure from Lando toward Oscar. Compared to the first Q3 lap, Oscar improved in a few areas, but I don’t think there was much more to extract from the car. The gap to Verstappen is very similar to what we saw in Suzuka - and this track has similar characteristics to Suzuka in terms of car demands".
It was a bittersweet qualifying for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver knows he extracted the most from the SF-25 - but, as he’s repeatedly said, the maximum isn’t good enough. Neither he nor Ferrari can be satisfied with P4 on the grid, and his frustration shows as he reflects on battling with inferior equipment.
"I’m not happy. I’m really not happy. I finished fourth in a session where I did a really good lap and gave it everything - but the car just doesn’t have the performance. I have massive oversteer or understeer depending on the corner, but in the end, it just comes down to lack of grip. I feel good in the car - I think I’ve found the sweet spot for my driving style. I’ve maximized the car’s potential in the last three qualifying sessions, but that potential isn’t where we want it to be. We brought some upgrades that were supposed to help - but the gap seems the same. I think others made the same step forward, so nothing has really changed".
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has struggled all weekend to feel at ease in the SF-25. Simply making it to Q3 was a small victory, considering the difficulties in Free Practice. The British driver has been candid with the media, expressing his frustrations and reassuring fans of his commitment to turning things around. After qualifying seventh, Hamilton was asked what he needed to feel comfortable in the Ferrari.
"A brain transplant".
The comment was half-joking but reflective of a deeper frustration - perhaps a continuation of the struggles he faced at Mercedes over the past two years.
"I need to take a deep breath. I know the fans aren’t happy. I’m sure the team isn’t either. And I know the bosses aren’t. And I’m definitely not happy with my results. All I can do is keep believing in myself, stay positive, and keep working. That’s what I’m trying to do".
Hamilton admitted he doesn’t understand why qualifying - once his strong suit - is now a major weakness:
"Something happens when I get to Q3. It’s strange - maybe it’s the out-lap, or how I manage the tires. I start my lap and I’m already down more than I should be. I’ve worked hard and tried… but it’s not coming easy anymore. It used to come naturally, but now it doesn’t. Qualifying has been tough for me all year. I’ve been nowhere all weekend. Honestly, I’m grateful to have made it to Q3. I finished seventh - my last lap wasn’t great, but it was an improvement. We’ve made gradual progress all weekend. I needed a better final lap, but I’m just glad I made it here".
When asked about his hopes for the race, Hamilton responded with a faint smile...
"I pray for this, more than anything else. Trying to set a good lap time and get in sync with this car on a flying lap is something I find really difficult. But we’re not giving up - we keep pushing and trying. We’ve got incredible support and we’re working hard".
The Grands Prix go by, the circuits change, but Scuderia Ferrari still struggles to fight for victories – only occasionally managing to shine in brief moments. The story repeated itself in Jeddah. Another disappointing result for Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, who explained the challenges both SF-25s faced:
"You can always hope to do a better job, but it’s true that from the very start of the weekend, we were losing a lot of time in Turn 1. I think we were three-tenths off pole, and we lost all three-tenths just in Turn 1. But it is what it is. We have to focus on the race and the long runs. So far, we’ve always performed better in race pace, although in FP2 yesterday, we couldn’t run any simulations due to the red flag. But I think anything is possible in the race - we’ll see".
He also gave a detailed breakdown of the issues Lewis Hamilton faced, with the Saudi Arabian weekend proving even tougher for him than for his teammate:
"It’s a completely different story compared to last weekend. In Bahrain, Lewis had good pace from the start, then made a mistake on his final Q3 lap. This weekend has been more difficult - he’s struggled to find the right balance from the get-go. On this type of track, surrounded by walls, if you don’t trust the car, everything becomes much harder. We’ll see in the race - last week he made a great comeback, and I’m sure he’ll do a good job again tomorrow. Is it strange he’s still struggling to adapt after five races? I wouldn’t say it’s five - after just two GPs, he did a great job in China, finding the right balance and fighting for pole and victory. So, it’s not a learning curve issue, but one of balance. He needs the right setup for each track, and we’ve struggled to find that consistently. We managed a couple of races ago, and I’m sure we will again".
Vasseur wrapped up by admitting some frustration with the qualifying result:
"I’m disappointed because we’re not here to be three-tenths off pole, and I feel like we didn’t quite put everything together this weekend. But the race is on Sunday, and in Jeddah, overtaking is possible - so everything’s still open. The situation changes drastically from one weekend to the next. Verstappen won in Japan and then struggled massively in Bahrain, and now he’s back on top. Consistency is hard to find - not just for us, but for everyone, maybe except McLaren. That’s the reality we’ve seen in the past few races".
Despite rumors surrounding a delayed contract renewal with Mercedes, George Russell continues to let his results do the talking. This, even though the British driver was overly cautious on his only good Q3 lap - perhaps shaken by Norris’ crash earlier in the session, which relegated the McLaren driver to a comeback from P10.
"I said I’d be happy with third place, and I am. But honestly, I was hoping for a bit more - I felt there was something more on the table. With only one lap available, we had no margin for error, so I couldn’t take risks. I was pretty conservative with the tires and probably overheated them a bit. I was worried about Turn 1 - a mistake there and it could’ve all been over, and I’d be starting tenth. The first and second sectors were good, but in the third, I lost about a tenth and a half. The final gap to pole was one-tenth. I could kick myself a bit, but the race is long and anything can happen".
Looking ahead to the race, Russell voiced the usual concern about McLaren. But if Piastri doesn't get ahead right away…
"Realistically, if we keep our positions off the line, I think we’ve got a chance to be in the mix. We can try something different with strategy, but if Oscar gets to Turn 1 first, it’s realistic to think he’ll pull away. Most likely, Norris will start on the hard tires, so he could end up leading at some point - and we’ll see what happens. If there’s a Safety Car at the right time, that could help him, so it won’t be easy".
The approach remains the same: cautious from FP1, steadily improving, and peaking at the crucial moment. Andrea Kimi Antonelli continues to build trust in his car - and after Bahrain, he closes another impressive qualifying session in Saudi Arabia with a P5. But this time, the Italian driver isn’t fully satisfied. He knows he missed a chance to be even further ahead. Why? A costly mistake in the opening corners that likely cost him over 0.3s - and the second row to Leclerc’s Ferrari.
"It was a decent session. But I’m a bit disappointed because on my final lap I made a big mistake in the first sector that cost me three or four tenths. I’m not exactly sure how much, but it was a big loss. It was definitely my mistake, and I need to understand what went wrong. It’s a real shame because I was feeling good in the car and building confidence - but we’re still starting fifth".
He now knows he’ll need to avoid a repeat of what happened in Bahrain:
"We’ll try to build a strong race from the third row. The key will definitely be trusting the car. I won’t make any race predictions - last weekend didn’t go as planned. I’ll wait and see, but I’ll be well prepared. I already have my eye on the Ferrari of Leclerc".
Two Red Bulls in Q3 for two races in a row hadn’t happened since September 2024, when both Verstappen and Sergio Perez made Q3 at Monza and Baku. In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Yuki Tsunoda has helped achieve that once again. The Japanese driver is showing he can be a reliable number two, securing P8 and providing a crucial slipstream for Verstappen in sector 1, aiding his pole lap. But at the end of the day, Tsunoda admitted that the RB21 remains a tricky beast.
"Congrats to Max for the pole - he put in a great lap. My final Q3 lap was pretty messy and I expected more. We’re still learning, and it feels like something always happens when I push harder - unpredictable things. It’s been tough to put a clean lap together. It’s frustrating not to deliver when it counts in Q3, but it’s still a positive to be in Q3 again this weekend. Some of the difficulties come from experience, but I’m gaining confidence in the car. I have to keep pushing - we want more. Hopefully we can be more consistent in the race. Our setup is more focused on long runs than on one-lap pace. I’ll do my best to make overtakes and bring home important points".
On Sunday, April 20, 2025, there is early drama as the race gets underway at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with polesitter Max Verstappen and second-placed Piastri going wheel-to-wheel before Verstappen cuts the apex into the first corner. While the Dutchman initially holds the lead, a five-second time penalty for the manoeuvre sees him drop behind the McLaren man after serving the punishment at his pit stop. Lando Norris - embarking on a recovery drive from P10 after his Qualifying crash on Saturday - inherits the lead for some time as the frontrunners pit, with the Briton opting for a longer first stint by starting on the hard tyres. But Piastri takes over P1 when his teammate stops for medium rubber, the 24-year-old going on to eke out an advantage at the front. From there Piastri is untroubled at the front, taking the chequered flag by 2.8s from the Red Bull of Verstappen, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc seals third to claim his maiden podium of the season. Norris has to settle for fourth, despite trying to chase down Leclerc until the end, with the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli following in fifth and sixth respectively. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, adds to Ferrari’s points tally in seventh. Another squad taking home a double points result is Williams, Carlos Sainz claiming P8 to mark his best result so far for the Grove-based squad while teammate Alex Albon is just behind in P9, the Thai driver holding off Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar despite a close challenge to the end. Fernando Alonso again misses out on points in P11 - the Aston Martin man yet to get off the mark in 2025 - with Liam Lawson taking P12 for Racing Bulls after being hit with a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in an incident with Jack Doohan. The Haas pair of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon slot into P13 and P14 respectively. Nico Hulkenberg drives his Kick Sauber to 15th place, ahead of the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, and the other Kick Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto completing the order of classified finishers. Two drivers fail to make the chequered flag, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda suffering an early exit after colliding in a first-lap incident that triggers a Safety Car phase.
But up at the front, Piastri takes the lead in the championship by 10 points from teammate Norris, making him the first Australian driver to head the championship standings in 15 years - the last being his manager, Mark Webber. After a busy build-up of three practice sessions and a dramatic Qualifying - in which Verstappen beats Piastri to pole position, while the latter’s teammate suffers a session-ending crash early in Q3 - the attentions of the paddock turn to the 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. As has been the case during the first two days of action, the drivers are again greeted by very warm conditions on race day at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with air temperatures in the range of 29 degrees Celsius as the local start time of 2000 approaches. Once the cars have assembled on the grid under the floodlights and the tyre blankets come off for the anticipated one-stop event, it is confirmed that the majority of the pack will be starting on the medium compound - with the exception of Norris, Hadjar, Stroll, and Hulkenberg on the hards, suggesting that these drivers will be opting for a longer first stint. After the formation lap is completed and the lights go out, Verstappen launches off the line well - but so does Piastri, the pair going wheel-to-wheel into the first corner before Verstappen cuts across the apex. Antonelli does the same behind as he fights with Leclerc, prompting the Mercedes driver to yield. There is first-lap drama further back as former teammates Gasly and Tsunoda collide, prompting the Safety Car to come out as both hit the wall. While Gasly is out of the running in the Alpine, Tsunoda manages to limp back to the pits but finds himself at the back of the field. A number of drivers take the opportunity to pit as the Safety Car remains out, with Doohan, Ocon, and Bortoleto all stopping for the hard tyres. Meanwhile, the Turn 1 incident between Verstappen and Piastri has been noted by the stewards.
"He was never going to make that corner regardless of whether I was there or not".
Piastri comments over the radio, while Verstappen also radios to say:
"He just forces me off".
As the Safety Car peels in on Lap 4 and Verstappen holds the lead from Piastri, the Dutchman is handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage for that aforementioned incident. Elsewhere, Hadjar is battling with Alonso for P10, the Racing Bulls driver winning out in the scrap. Five laps in, the top 10 stand at Verstappen - leading by over one second - Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Hamilton, Sainz, Norris, Albon, and Hadjar. It looks like that order could soon be set to change, though, with Antonelli closing to within one second of Leclerc while Norris is chasing down Sainz, the Briton eventually using the DRS to overtake his former teammate into Turn 1. Off the track, the stewards confirm that they will investigate the incident between Gasly and Tsunoda after the race, the latter ultimately retiring from the running. And back on the circuit, the leading pair of Verstappen and Piastri have broken away, driving over two seconds up the road from Russell in third. Albon, meanwhile, is warned about his brakes potentially overheating on Lap 11 - prompting the Williams driver to respond:
"Do you not see there is a car right behind me?"
With Hadjar close on his tail. Ahead of him, Norris looks to have taken P6 from Hamilton as his mission to make gains through the field continues - but the Ferrari driver isn’t giving up and utilises DRS to retake the place, dropping Norris back in the process. It is not over there, though; Norris gets in front again by slipping through the inside, only for Hamilton to surge forwards into Turn 1. On the next tour, Norris tries a move himself at the same place - and this time looks to have succeeded, with the next target Antonelli three seconds ahead in P5. As Lap 17 ticks down, Verstappen has extended his lead over Piastri to over two seconds, with Russell five seconds back from the McLaren in third. Norris’ ascent is continuing, the Briton having taken fifth from Antonelli - just as Piastri is called to pit, the Australian bolting on a set of hard tyres on Lap 20. After a slightly slow stop of 3.4s, he reemerges into sixth while Verstappen stays out, the Dutchman told to keep going by engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. Other pit stops come thick and fast, with Russell picking up some hard tyres before Verstappen also makes his stop, the World Champion serving his penalty in the process and returning to the track in fifth. Up ahead, Piastri makes a nail-bitingly close overtake on Hamilton through Turn 22, the Australian taking third as Leclerc leads from Norris up ahead, both cars having yet to stop. With Hamilton stopping soon afterwards, the top five stand at Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, and Russell as the race reaches its halfway point on Lap 25. Further back, Alonso tries to make a move on Bortoleto only to get squeezed close to the wall, prompting the Spaniard - who is part of the Kick Sauber driver’s management team - to ask his Aston Martin team to check the car. Various battles continue to play out across the field, with Sainz snatching P10 from Hulkenberg while Lawson has taken P14 from Doohan, both still looking for their first points of the season.
Leclerc eventually makes his stop on Lap 30, the Monegasque swapping his medium tyres for a set of hards before returning to the track in fifth. This puts Norris - still yet to stop - in the lead, the Briton running three seconds ahead of Piastri. Elsewhere, Antonelli has a pulse-raising brush with the wall, while Piastri is told that Norris might be extending his stint ahead, leading the Australian to respond that he is starting to feel dirty air a bit. Norris is subsequently called into the pits on Lap 35, the McLaren driver having a bit of a lock-up as he enters the pit lane before bolting on the medium compound and returning to the track in P5. This hands the lead to Piastri, 4.5s ahead of Verstappen in second, while Russell is being chased down by Leclerc in the battle for third. That particular scrap comes to a head on Lap 38, with Leclerc using the DRS to make a clean pass into Turn 1 and put himself into contention for a maiden podium of the season. There is worse luck for Lawson, meanwhile, who is handed a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during his battle with Doohan. With 10 laps to go, Norris gains another position by taking P4 from Russell - but the McLaren driver has also been noted for crossing the line at the pit exit when making his stop, potentially putting him at risk of a penalty. However, the incident is later dismissed by the stewards, perhaps helping the papaya squad breathe a sigh of relief as the British driver continues to run in fourth. But Piastri - leading by 2.9s from Verstappen up ahead - is seemingly less calm, having voiced his frustrations about cars ahead of him as he comes to lap a battling Stroll and Bortoleto.
The leader eventually finds a way past but has lost one second in the process. As the final three laps approach, Norris is the fastest man on track in fourth as he tries to hunt down Leclerc, while Hadjar is closing in on Albon in the fight for P9. There are no further troubles for Piastri up ahead, though, the Australian finding his way through the remaining traffic to seal his third victory of the season - as well as becoming the new championship leader as a result. Verstappen has to settle for second, crossing the line 2.8s behind Piastri, while Leclerc completes the podium in P3 for Ferrari, marking his debut rostrum of the campaign. Norris, meanwhile, cannot quite reach the Monegasque, taking fourth to complete his recovery drive from P10 on the grid. Russell and teammate Antonelli are fifth and sixth respectively, with Hamilton ending the day in a quiet seventh, while Williams scores a double points finish as Sainz takes eighth ahead of Albon in ninth. Hadjar claims the final point on offer in P10 - having been unable to overtake Albon in the end - while Alonso’s search for his debut points of the season continues as he takes P11. Mission accomplished in Saudi Arabia for Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver secured victory - his second consecutive win and third in five Grand Prix - and with it, the lead in the World Championship. The decisive moment on the road to success came when Piastri got a better start than Verstappen and pulled alongside him into turn 1. The World Champion cut the corner—claiming he was forced off track by his rival—and rejoined in the lead. The race stewards initially investigated the incident, then penalized the Red Bull Racing driver with a 5-second penalty, which Verstappen served during his pit stop. Thus, after the only pit stop, Piastri found himself in first place, holding it all the way to the checkered flag.
"The start? Once I took the inside line, I wasn’t going to come out of turn 1 in second place. Then, of course, it went to the stewards, but I think I was ahead at the apex of the corner. I’m very happy with the work we’ve done on the starts, and today we reaped the rewards".
Talking more generally about the race, Piastri highlights the massive physical effort the drivers were forced to endure during the race:
"I’d love a sofa right now, it was a really tough race, and I’m so happy to have won. The start made the difference. I tried in turn 1, and after that, it was really hard to follow the car in front. I couldn’t stay with Max in the first stint because I was eating up the tires. But after the pit stop, with clean air, it was much better. We did the things we needed to do well. But we still need to do a little more because Max was a bit too close for our liking. Still, it was a great race and a great weekend".
Finally, a quick comment on the drinking system, which had failed in the last Grand Prix:
"We brought an update this weekend, and the drink system worked. We got it to work. I didn’t have any issues, but it’s always a tough race. This year it was scheduled later in the season, with more heat and humidity. It was definitely one of the toughest races of my career. I’m happy to have finished it in first place".
McLaren continues to perform at the top. Despite some uncertainty in qualifying and the masterpieces attempted by Max Verstappen, the British team has won four out of five races. The last three victories have been secured by Oscar Piastri, who also triumphed in Saudi Arabia. Speaking after the race, McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, comments on the Australian driver’s performance as well as Lando Norris’s, who, despite his qualifying mistake, managed to recover from tenth to fourth place.
"I think Oscar won the race at the start, he was slightly ahead at the apex of turn 1 and deserved to take the lead. Once in clean air, he managed everything well. Great race by Oscar and great race by Lando. His strategy was to start on hard tires to take advantage of clean air later on. For him, those are important points. As he said during the in-lap, he just needs to do a bit better on Saturday, and everything will be fine".
Andrea Stella then analyzes a detail of the race where Norris once again lacked concentration. During the first stint, the British driver took several laps to overtake Hamilton, who was clearly slower, misjudging the spot to make the pass and allowing Ferrari’s driver to activate DRS on the main straight.
"Did he lose the podium because of that? Yes, I think you’re right. When races are so close and decided by just a handful of seconds, losing that time with Lewis was a problem. Of course, Lewis knows how to race very well, and for Lando, it took a couple of attempts to figure out that he had to pass Lewis in turn 1".
The sixth-place qualifying result in the Bahrain Grand Prix allowed Lando Norris to finish in P3 in the race, a position that helped him maintain the lead in the World Championship. However, the British driver was unable to complete a similar mission in Saudi Arabia. Starting from tenth after an incident in Q3, Norris climbed up the rankings to P4, almost risking a time penalty after nearly crossing the pit lane exit line. In the final stages of the race, the British driver gained ground on Leclerc lap by lap but couldn’t get close enough to overtake the Monegasque driver. A disappointing result overall for Norris, who also lost the World Championship lead to his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
"I don’t think we could have done more today, it’s a shame to miss the podium by so little, it’s always tough to do this race. Charles did a great job, and he set himself up with a good tire set for the end of the second stint. I made a lot of progress towards the end, but not enough to pass him. I think overall I’m happy, though. I made life difficult for myself. Especially in a race like this, it would have been much easier for me if I had started further up, so I have to blame myself for that".
Another race decided at the start, but this time the poleman didn’t win. Max Verstappen had a worse start than Oscar Piastri and forced the move in turn 1, going wide and cutting the chicane. Since he didn’t give the position back, he was handed a 5-second penalty. Verstappen’s intention was clear: to stay ahead of Piastri on track, even at the cost of a penalty, because letting the Australian driver through in turn 1 would have meant losing the win. However, the World Champion doesn’t believe the penalty given by the stewards was fair.
"I think any words on this subject would be a waste of time for everyone. We’ve talked about this a lot, and this year there are different rules, but honestly, it’s not my problem. I think the positive side is that we had a good pace in the race, and I was much happier with the medium tires. I didn’t expect the car to have this pace. But this shows that the work on the car between Friday and Saturday helped us a lot with tire wear. It’s not in my interest to appeal against this decision. The only thing I care about now is going home".
It’s important to note that the rules for racing in duels have changed compared to 2024. Now, the driver on the inside has the right to set the corner without having to leave space for the rival’s car, as long as they stay within track limits. This is exactly what Piastri did in turn 1. Later, Max Verstappen, in a press conference, emphasizes that Piastri has all it takes to fight for the World Championship title:
"He’s in his third year in Formula 1, and he’s very solid and consistent. He has a very calm approach, and that’s a trait I like. He shows it on track: he never misses a performance and makes very few mistakes. That’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship. I also think having Mark Webber by his side is helping him a lot. People learn from their careers, and Webber is doing for Piastri what my father did for me through valuable advice. Oscar is simply making the most of his talent, and that’s a great thing".
On his fifth attempt, Charles Leclerc managed to climb onto the podium for the first time. The Scuderia Ferrari driver managed to extend his stint with the Medium tire significantly, setting incredible lap times, and with a Hard tire that was nine laps fresher than George Russell's, he finally got the better of him with a decisive overtake in Turn 1.
Leclerc then had to fend off attacks from Lando Norris, who was on the Medium tire after starting on the Hard. The Ferrari driver is 52 points behind Oscar Piastri in the standings, a significant gap but not yet unbridgeable, as long as the trend is reversed. However, the Monegasque driver says he's positively surprised:
"I thought I’d have to defend against those behind me, mainly Antonelli. I’m really happy with my race; I gave it my all, we need to improve in qualifying. The team was perfect, both the pit wall and the mechanics in the pits, they’ve been making impressive pit stops. We're lacking a bit of performance, but there are many things to be happy about this weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good in the car, and I’ve figured out how to unlock a lot of performance. I hope the updates come soon and improve the car, although I think it will be hard to close the gap before the Spanish Grand Prix. We’ll need to see what happens there with the new wings, and we’ll see where we stand after that weekend".
Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, can finally smile a little on Sunday evening. After the tension from disappointing qualifying performances and the joy of winning the Sprint Race in China, quickly overshadowed by the double disqualification in the race, the Maranello team has proven to be competitive again. And they showed it in Jeddah, albeit with only one of the two SF-25s, the one entrusted to Charles Leclerc, who was excellent in tire management and perfectly executed the strategy set for him by the engineers.
"It’s clear that this weekend, if we’re not one or two steps ahead, it’s because of qualifying, because the race pace was very good. Charles was a bit conservative at the start, being in the dirty air, because he knew we wanted to extend the first stint, and he did very well in terms of management. Then, from lap 10 to the end, I think his pace was even better than Verstappen’s and Piastri’s, but that’s how it went, and we need to try to be more consistent throughout the weekend and in all sessions, especially in qualifying, to do a better job and start from a better position".
However, the French manager denies that the team is only carried by Charles’ great passion:
"Does Leclerc keep Ferrari’s dream alive? No, it’s not about saving the dream or anything like that. We need to work together as a team to push, to keep developing, to keep improving. Clearly, we have weaknesses, and I think mainly about qualifying because the race pace is always a bit better, but it’s always a team effort. It’s not just one person saving the others, nor is it the team pushing Charles. We’re all in the same boat".
Later, the team principal also discusses the difficulties in Turn 1 seen in qualifying, which then disappeared in the race:
"We don’t have problems in the slow corners because the pace was constant throughout the lap and in every type of corner. If we struggled enormously at the first chicane yesterday, today we were probably the fastest on track at Turn 1-2. This is a good lesson, and we need to discuss with Charles what we did differently compared to yesterday. In these situations, tire preparation is crucial, but we’re lacking a bit of performance in the single-lap pace. Everything matters in the end, it’s not just a detail. There’s no magic wand that gives you those 3 tenths. Performance never comes from one pillar alone, but from a bit of everything. That was our attitude last year, and it paid off because we were very far behind at the start, and then we caught up. We need to take the same approach, and I’m sure this podium will help us in this regard. We have a points deficit compared to McLaren, and it’s a lot. And of course, we wanted to be in a better position, but we look to the future. Let’s focus on the next races, on continuing to work and push as a team, and the results will come. Do I still think about the championship? No, I’m thinking about Miami, and I don’t think it’s a mistake to do so because we know we have weaknesses with the car".
Finally, there’s also a comment on Lewis Hamilton, who was over 30 seconds behind Leclerc in the race:
"It was tough today, he struggled, although in the end, he had a decent second stint. But when he had dirty air, it was more complicated. Overall, he’s been having too many ups and downs. We have ups and downs too, but he’s also having a bit of the same. We need to be more consistent as a team, we need to do a better job in Free Practice 3 to prepare for qualifying. I think this is the main issue, we need to be on point in every session and not just for 25 laps in the race or two in qualifying. Miami? It will be quite difficult because there’s also the Sprint. We’ll only have an hour of practice, so I’m not sure it makes sense to bring updates. We’ll probably bring something new to Imola because Miami will be complicated".
Lewis Hamilton is not looking for excuses after the third weekend where he couldn’t match the performances of his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
"The only thing that has come out of these three consecutive races is that I’m slow, and I need to figure out how to get out of this situation".
In China, Lewis Hamilton won the Sprint Race, but in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, he was always far behind his teammate both in qualifying and the race, and the gap between the two in the standings is now 16 points in favor of the Monegasque driver.
"I have no explanation for my performance. At the moment, there are no solutions, it looks like this will be the case for the rest of the year, and it will be tough. In the race, I tried everything, but I couldn’t make the car go faster. I had no grip, and I was sliding everywhere. In the first stint, I had a lot of understeer and degradation, in the second, the car balance was better, but I still wasn’t fast. It was horrible and not enjoyable at all".
Unlike what is happening with Lewis Hamilton, Andrea Kimi Antonelli can smile for the sixth place he secured in Jeddah. And even though Mercedes’ performance in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix may have been below expectations considering George Russell’s fifth place, the Italian driver - who also physically struggled during the weekend due to the high humidity - still has a valuable amount of knowledge to take back to Italy. It’s especially worth noting the final part of the race, where the Italian driver was able to keep Lewis Hamilton at bay, showing good tire management with the Hard tires after struggling in the first stint with the Mediums.
"I believe that towards the end of the Grand Prix, my pace was quite good. The last 10-15 laps were pretty positive, while in the first stint I need to review what happened because I had balance problems, and the front tires dropped off very quickly and too early. That’s why I had to pit earlier than everyone else, and so I had to manage the first half of the stint with the Hard tires a lot more. I struggled, but then in the last 10-15 laps, I was able to push again. It was nice to see that the pace was there, and now I have a week to rest and some time to gather all the information to come back stronger starting from Miami".
The learning process continues at a fast pace, even with a bit of luck for having brushed the barriers twice, but without any technical consequences or damage to his Mercedes:
"Luckily, nothing serious happened. I grazed the wall twice, and the second time was in Turn 4. It was really scary because then I started to feel some vibrations, which wasn’t pleasant. But I’m glad the car held up. It was still a good test from a physical and mental perspective, but also a great learning experience because these three circuits we’ve raced on were completely different from each other. It was good to have this experience, and I probably still need to work a bit more, especially on tracks where degradation is higher. But it was a good way to learn after Bahrain, and I’m happy with how I managed the tires in the second stint. I’ve learned a lot, and now I can’t wait to rest a bit, have some time to gather all the data, and think carefully before getting back on track. The maturity exams? Yes, but they’re a bit later in the year, around July. So I think the priority this week will be to recover my energy".