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Max Verstappen has outlined Oscar Piastri as having the attributes to fight for the F1 drivers’ title this season after losing to the McLaren driver in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

In the pair’s first real experience battling each other for victory, it was Piastri who came out victorious after an incident at the first corner. 

READ MORE: Max Verstappen makes Oscar Piastri title threat judgement after duel defeat

Ferrari issues emphatic Lewis Hamilton backing after Jeddah disappointment

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has insisted that he is “2,000%” behind Lewis Hamilton, following a difficult Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the Briton.

Hamilton struggled for outright pace at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and raised concerns after second practice that reaching the top 10 shootout would be a challenge. 

READ MORE: Ferrari issues emphatic Lewis Hamilton backing after Jeddah disappointment

Red Bull argues against crucial Max Verstappen penalty decision

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has argued against Max Verstappen’s time penalty during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion received a five-second time penalty after leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage at the first two corners, following an incident with Oscar Piastri. 

READ MORE: Red Bull argues against crucial Max Verstappen penalty decision

Former Red Bull rules guru hints at major Max Verstappen mistake

Red Bull’s former sporting director-turned Stake team principal Jonathan Wheatley has hinted the team made a mistake in not getting Max Verstappen to cede the lead in the Saudi Arabian GP.

Verstappen cut across the run-off at Turn 1 on the first lap after Oscar Piastri forced himself up the inside to nab the apex – leaving the Red Bull nowhere to go.

READ MORE: Former Red Bull rules guru hints at major Max Verstappen mistake

Toto Wolff criticises rumoured F1 rule change with ‘American politics’ quip

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has labelled the latest rumoured F1 engine rule changes as a “joke”, as he delivered an “American politics” quip.

A summit in Bahrain last week confirmed that the planned 2026 engine overhaul was to go ahead as planned, with the beefed-up electrical systems set to be introduced.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff criticises rumoured F1 rule change with ‘American politics’ quip

Lando Norris responds to losing F1 championship lead with defiant message

Lando Norris appears unconcerned and is “not surprised” about losing the lead of the F1 drivers’ championship at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver came home fourth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, whilst team-mate Oscar Piastri took victory. 

READ MORE: Lando Norris responds to losing F1 championship lead with defiant message

“Dizzying” Oscar Piastri dazzled under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to claim his third victory of the F1 season.

That is more than Max Verstappen and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris combined, and placed the Australian at the summit of the drivers’ standings for the first time in his young career.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s “painful” start to the year continued at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but things are starting to look up in the Italian team’s other garage, with Charles Leclerc claiming the Scuderia’s first podium of the campaign.

Verstappen expressed his aggravation at being handed a five-second time penalty for his lap one clash with Piastri by choosing to say very little during his post-race media duties, a thinly-veiled shot at the FIA for punishing him.

Here is how media from around the world reacted to the fifth round of the F1 season.

🇬🇧 The Times – ‘Hamilton: There wasn’t one second of Saudi GP where I felt comfortable’

British broadsheet newspaper The Times addressed Hamilton’s torrid time at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where he started and finished seventh.

The 40-year-old said post race he was uncomfortable throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but that he could not blame the car, as team-mate Leclerc took the SF-25 to the podium – for the first time all year.

Predicting the “painful” experience to continue indefinitely, the seven-time F1 drivers’ champion nonetheless has the full backing of team principal Fred Vasseur, who said: “I will be 2,000 percent behind him and I will give him support here and we will start from tomorrow morning to try to find solutions.”

🇳🇱 De Telegraaf – ‘Why silent Max Verstappen was so surprised by his punishment: ‘But everything I say can get me into trouble”

Dutch publication De Telegraaf focused on home son Verstappen, who failed to convert pole position into victory in Jeddah, instead having to settle for second place after his five-second time penalty.

In particular, it honed in on the 64-time grand prix winner’s dissatisfaction with the stewards’ handling of his well-documented first corner clash with Piastri, which earned him a race-deciding five-second time penalty.

Not for the first time, Verstappen made his feelings well known when speaking to the press, this time by limiting answers and highlighting that anything he does say could land him in trouble with the FIA.

🇮🇹 Corriere della Sera – ‘Leclerc like Verstappen: he does magic with Ferrari. Someone explain to him why the car doesn’t work’

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera likened Leclerc to fellow podium finisher Verstappen, drawing upon the similarities of the their current plights.

It suggests that, like the Dutchman, the Ferrari driver is having to wrangle more out of inadequate machinery than ought to be possible.

Questioning when Ferrari will deliver on its thus-far empty promises with the SF-25, it not only asks why the team has been unable to articulate its recent struggles, it insists “time is running out” for the Maranello squad to salvage something from its season.

🇩🇪 BILD – ‘Piastri wins thanks to Verstappen penalty’

Germany publication BILD attributes Piastri’s grand prix victory to Verstappen’s time penalty, arguing the outcome of the race was decided not only by the first corner incident but also the stewards’ intervention.

Highlighting how the title fight as is close as it has been in years, it underlined how the momentum now sits comfortably with the Australian driver after back-to-back wins, and having wrestled the lead of the championship standings from McLaren team-mate Norris.

As the only German on the grid, Nico Hulkenberg was given a “solid” verdict for his drive from P18 to P15, finishing three positions up on Stake team-mate Gabriel Bortleto.

🇪🇸 El País – ‘Piastri is serious about the championship, victory in Saudi Arabia and the new championship leader’

Spanish newspaper El País states that Verstappen has “met his match” in Piastri, after the 24-year-old gave the four-time F1 drivers’ champion a taste of his own medicine.

After highlighting how he has become the first Australian to lead the F1 drivers’ championship since his manager, Mark Webber, in 2010, the article heaped high praise on him.

It called his fifth grand prix victory, and his third of the season a “statement that’s a little dizzying considering the names he’s competing against.”

🇦🇺 Herald Sun – ‘Piastri top of the world after taking down sulking Verstappen’

Australian tabloid the Herald Sun – unsurprisingly – tackled how native son Piastri achieved glory in Saudi Arabia, referring to the beaten Verstappen as “sulking” after being handed his critical time penalty.

It described the fight for victory between the pair as a “titanic battle” and examined why the “ruthless” Dutchman is in awe of the McLaren driver.

It focused on Verstappen’s praise of Piastri, underlining his belief that the Australian all that is needed to claim the drivers’ title.

Oscar Piastri took the fight to Max Verstappen and came out victorious in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, claiming the race win and the lead of the F1 drivers’ title. 

Piastri led the second-half of the race after Verstappen served a five-second time penalty, following an opening corner clash with the McLaren driver. 

Verstappen demonstrated good pace to finish in second, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third. Lando Norris recovered to fourth after starting in 10th.

So, who has made the RacingNews365 list of winners and losers for the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Winner – Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri delivered a major statement en-route to victory at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, that he can fight Verstappen at his own game. 

The Australian driver positioned his car perfectly at the first corner, with Verstappen having bailed out and cut the chicane. He maintained the lead, resulting in the time penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage. 

Whilst Piastri’s third win of the season was impressive, it was how he took the fight to Verstappen which has seen him make this category. 

In what was their first time duelling for the lead, Piastri coming out on top is a huge message for Verstappen that there is a driver after all who can battle him and win.

Loser – Max Verstappen

For losing the fight to Piastri, Max Verstappen makes the ‘loser’ category despite a strong drive to finish second. 

The reigning world champion threw away victory in Saudi Arabia, having had strong enough pace to win if it was not for his time penalty. 

Verstappen not winning a head-to-head scrap is not a common occurrence, hence the significance of it. 

With a fifth consecutive F1 drivers’ title very much possible, Verstappen must assess how to fight Piastri in the future, given he is clearly up for the challenge. 

Winner – Charles Leclerc

Finally, Charles Leclerc had a moment of satisfaction this season after claiming his first rostrum of the year. 

It has been a difficult campaign so far for Leclerc, who has excelled in what is currently an underwhelming Ferrari package. 

He has outlined his dissastifaction with the car and has called for further improvements, but is still delivering positive results for the Maranello-based team. 

With the exception of the China sprint, he has dominated over Lewis Hamilton and was six-tenths quicker than the Briton in Jeddah qualifying.

Loser – Lando Norris

Lando Norris entered the Saudi Arabian GP insisting that he needed a “reset”, he now needs another before F1 returns in Miami. 

He looked strong throughout practice and was the favourite for pole ahead of qualifying, before his latest mistake saw the Briton crash in Q3. 

That immediately ended his hopes of victory, with Norris having recovered from 10th to fourth in what was a fast-paced race. 

Norris has lost the championship lead and now faces a 10-point deficit, although his priority must be ending his regular errors.

Winner – Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz is steadily finding his place at Williams, with his Saudi Arabia performance highlighting that he is becoming settled with the car. 

Qualifying in sixth and finishing in eighth, ahead of Alex Albon, was an impressive display by Sainz. To add to his result, he qualified ahead of Hamilton for the second consecutive grand prix. 

Williams’ package is good enough to regularly appear in Q3 and score points, although it is adrift of the top four teams. 

Nevertheless, Sainz is making positive steps at last with the Grove-based outfit, following a difficult start to life with the team.

Loser – Lewis Hamilton

It was another weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton, who continues to look uncomfortable in the SF-25. 

His pace has vanished since converting sprint pole into sprint victory back in China, with him being consistently slower than Leclerc. 

Fred Vasseur has insisted that he is fully behind the seven-time world champion, who did at least demonstrate some strong race craft. 

Hamilton has painted a dejected figure in the media pen and with five rounds already complete, he is in desperate need of some good results.

There are no perfect 10s in the RacingNews365 driver ratings for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 

There are however, two nines but how did Max Verstappen’s first lap ‘short-cut’ affect his rating?

What about Lando Norris’s comeback after his qualifying crash and what of Lewis Hamilton?

Check out the driver ratings below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

The top five

Oscar Piastri – 9

Cannot score higher after lacking a bit of pace throughout practice, and then being pipped by 0.010s to pole position. But had one chance to steal the lead from Verstappen – which he did at Turn 1 as a Verstappen’d Verstappen. Job done. 

Carlos Sainz – 9

His best weekend for Williams – and felt the car had finally clicked. Qualified sixth, ahead of Hamilton, with eighth the best result in the race once the faster Ferrari and the McLaren of Norris came through. Excellent work with Alex Albon to protect from Hadjar for P8 and P9. 

Max Verstappen – 8.5

On course for a 9 or higher, but simply must be docked marks for the Turn 1 incident. You simply cannot release the brake, cut the corner, maintain the position and not expect a penalty. Stunning lap for pole position.

Charles Leclerc – 8.5

Despite struggling with the car throughout practice and being deeply unhappy after qualifying, this was a strong performance. Banking Ferrari’s first podium of the year, he did well to defend from Norris in the late podium charge. Strong pace early on after switching to the hards.

George Russell – 8

Fell off the cliff with tyre concerns, but this was still another top-rate Russell display, especially in qualifying to be a tenth off pole, when the Red Bull and McLaren were faster. Norris was always coming through, and given the tyre woes, fifth was the best to expect.

The bottom five

Gabriel Bortoleto – 5

A score of 5 is the par score given for a weekend. Boss Jonathan Wheatley felt the team did not give the Brazilian “a fair crack of the whip” following the loss of FP2 and chassis change with a fuel leak. A character-building weekend. 

Lewis Hamilton – 4.5

Never at one with the car throughout the weekend, except in the second stint on the hards in the race, but by then it was too late. Consistently over half-a-second down on Leclerc in the sister car. Yes, there are the teething troubles of gelling in with a new team, but maybe Hamilton’s late-braking driving style just does not agree with this generation of car.

Yuki Tsunoda – 4.5 

The crash at the end of FP2 was clumsy and fortunately did not cost him any track time bar a few minutes, but it was still a mistake that should not have been made. Did well to qualify in eighth, and the first lap collision with Pierre Gasly was a racing incident – but no other drivers collided on the first lap, so it is a second strike. 

Esteban Ocon – 4 

From out-qualifying Ollie Bearman by 0.779s in Bahrain, Ocon was 0.556s slower in Saudi. He never got to grips with the car throughout the weekend and was over 20 seconds behind at the flag, albeit only one place. 

Jack Doohan – 4 

After a reasonably bright weekend in Bahrain, Doohan was off the pace in Jeddah, fighting what he called “gremlins” on Friday, and feeling as if he lost the sessions battling “anomalies.” Was 0.714s slower than Gasly in qualifying, who made Q3 and finished P17, only moving forward from the Gasly and Tsunoda DNFs.