The one who was supposed to win did win, that is Oscar Piastri with McLaren. And on the podium with him were two drivers who truly impressed, going beyond expectations: Max Verstappen second with Red Bull and Charles Leclerc third with Ferrari, the best result of the year for the Maranello team, after an impressive performance from the Monegasque driver and a flowless strategy from the pit wall. This victory puts Oscar Piastri at the top of the championship after just 51 Grands Prix, and at this point he is the man Woking will bet on for the drivers’ title. But judging by what was seen in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah circuit, the Australian will certainly not have an easy time in the upcoming races, with Red Bull once again competitive on the fastest track of this phase of the season, and Ferrari finally able to fight at the front and show its claws, finishing just 8.1 seconds behind the winning McLaren MCL38. Had the red car started further up the grid, it might have done even better considering the strong race pace shown by Charles Leclerc.
It was a Ferrari that surprised even its own team, rediscovering an unexpected and unpredictable drivability with the medium and hard Pirelli tires. But as already known, Ferrari is only Charles Leclerc at this stage, driven by the unstoppable desire to stay ahead of the one who had been announced as the saviour of the team, Lewis Hamilton. This drive is bringing unexpected benefits to Maranello, with an outstanding Charles Leclerc who, despite taking big risks, is not making mistakes, while Lewis Hamilton, only seventh at the end of the race, is unfortunately far off the pace, ending up over thirty seconds behind his Maranello teammate. Charles Leclerc’s podium is a joy that soothes the Italian side: all that can be hoped for now is that improvements to the car will arrive in the coming races, even though the Monegasque driver himself speaks of persistent weaknesses in the car. But then there is the obvious problem of Lewis Hamilton, a champion who needs to bounce back to give Ferrari a chance of fighting for the Constructors’ championship.
At the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Oscar Piastri was the brilliant winner after forcing Max Verstappen, with a decisive move stemming from a cold and ruthless champion’s temperament, to cut the first corner and thus take a five-second penalty served during the pit stop. The Dutchman finished 2.8 seconds behind Oscar Piastri, so does that mean that he would have won without the incident? It’s hard to say, with the Australian so smart and calculating that it seemed he still had something in reserve. There’s no point in Max Verstappen playing the victim: Oscar Piastri simply did what the Red Bull driver himself has done at the start many times, and the world champion wasn’t expecting it. Now he knows he’ll have to reckon with someone who has no inferiority complex.
And Lando Norris? A solid fourth, but with so many mistakes. Not only in qualifying, because during his precise comeback drive, he twice failed to overtake Lewis Hamilton and then risked a penalty by barely touching the white line at pit exit. In short, there is something holding him back mentally, whereas Oscar Piastri is cold and unaffected by everything. Without those missteps, Lando Norris could have attacked Charles Leclerc: instead, he only caught a glimpse of the Ferrari SF-25’s tail in the final corners. Too little, when yo are driving a McLaren, which at this stage remains the faster car on the grid.
— see video above —
Leave a Reply