F1 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix results: Piastri leads the title race
22 April 2025The 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix rounded out the first F1 triple-header of the year, and it certainly delivered some key storylines ahead of the short break before the next round.
Front-row starters Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri went wheel-to-wheel in the opening moments, seeing the Red Bull driver pick up a five-second time penalty for cutting the chicane. Lando Norris recovered well and finished fourth from his starting position of 10th, while George Russell finished fifth for Mercedes.
Fellow Brits Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman didn’t have the easiest of races. The Ferrari driver struggled with his car again, while the Haas lacked pace all weekend.
Even though none of our Brits were on the podium, a storming third victory of the season for Piastri sees him leapfrog his team-mate Norris to take the lead of the drivers’ standings by 10 points.
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix results
Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:21:06.758 | 25 |
2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | +2.843s | 18 |
3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +8.104s | 15 |
4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +9.196s | 12 |
5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +27.236s | 10 |
6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +34.688s | 8 |
7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +39.073s | 6 |
8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | +64.630s | 4 |
9 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | +66.515s | 2 |
10 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | +67.091s | 1 |
11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +75.917s | 0 |
12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | +78.451s | 0 |
13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | +79.194s | 0 |
14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | +99.723s | 0 |
15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | +1 lap | 0 |
16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +1 lap | 0 |
17 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | +1 lap | 0 |
18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | +1 lap | 0 |
NC | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | DNF | 0 |
NC | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | DNF | 0 |
READ MORE: 2025 F1 Standings
Norris’ recovery drive from 10th
Despite a crash in Qualifying that left him unable to set a time in Q3, Lando made his intentions clear from his 10th-place grid spot. He gained two places in the opening laps when Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda clashed on the opening lap and continued his forward momentum into fifth.
His strategy saw him pit later than others for the Medium tyre, and he used the fresh rubber beneath him to climb the order, finishing just a second shy of Charles Leclerc and the final podium position.
Tyre troubles for Russell
Falling short of pole position by only 0.113s, George Russell had to settle for third on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He held position at the start of the race but began to struggle to keep up with Max Verstappen ahead on his opening stint on the Medium tyre.
After a pit stop on lap 22 for the hard tyre, he tried to close the gap to the cars ahead. With the tyres overheating, he quickly lost performance and was passed by Leclerc and Norris.
He finished the race in fifth, continuing his run of top-five finishes this season.
Ferrari struggles continue for Hamilton
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was another challenging chapter in Lewis’ debut season as a Ferrari driver. Having qualified seventh, he struggled for grip in his SF-25 throughout much of the race.
After his pit stop, his tyres took time to get up to their performance window, and in the final five laps he was able to find some grip underneath him to catch rookie Kimi Antonelli ahead.
However, with the laps counting down, he was unable to find the position and crossed the line where he started in seventh.
An uneventful weekend for Bearman
Points were out of reach for Haas’ Ollie Bearman in Jeddah. The 19-year-old made it through to Q2 for the second time this year and qualified 15th.
He moved up two positions at the start of the Grand Prix after Gasly and Tsunoda’s incident. He pitted for fresh Hard tyres on lap 18 and emerged at the rear of the field. He made his way through the field for the remainder of the race and finished in 13th.
Back-to-back victories for Piastri
After just missing out on pole position, Oscar Piastri was a man on a mission in Sunday’s race. He went wheel-to-wheel with polesitter Max Verstappen in the opening corners which led to the Red Bull driver receiving a five-second time penalty for cutting the chicane.
He came in for his pit stop on lap 20 and rejoined in sixth but soon was sat behind his team-mate in third. As Norris pitted from the lead on lap 35, Oscar regained his lead and was untroubled, taking his third victory of the season.
His win also moved him into the lead of the drivers’ standings, the first time since 2010 that an Australian has occupied the top position.
Maiden podium in 2025 for Leclerc
After looking downbeat when he qualified fourth for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc delivered a fine fightback on Sunday.
As the front runners began to make their pit stops, Leclerc inherited the lead of the race, extending his stint on the Medium tyre. With fresher tyres than those around him he was able to push into the podium positions.
He resisted the pressure of Norris from behind and at the chequered flag took Ferrari’s maiden podium of the 2025 season.
