Good evening and welcome to the fifth edition of the Saudi Arabian GP. On Easter day itself, Formula 1 hits the track, in a race where twists and surprises are truly just around the corner. The editorial team of ScuderiaFans.com provides you with a detailed summary of what happened in Jeddah.
A start with a bang
At the lights out, an excellent getaway by Oscar Piastri who moves into first position, with Verstappen trying to overtake the Australian by attempting a bold move on the outside of turn 1, going wide. This chicane cut brings Max back into the lead, but it remains to be seen whether the position should be handed back.
Meanwhile, in the midfield, there’s a collision between Gasly and Tsunoda, with the Frenchman crashing heavily into the wall. The driver is okay, but his race ends there. The Japanese driver manages to return to the pits, but damage to the RB21 prevents him from continuing the race; he retires too. The Safety Car is deployed to allow the marshals to safely remove the Alpine. At Ferrari, Hamilton makes an excellent start, climbing to sixth position; Norris gains two places due to the Gasly-Tsunoda clash.
The restart takes place on lap three, with the drivers holding their positions. Meanwhile, a message arrives regarding Verstappen: he must serve a 5-second penalty for the incident at the start with Piastri. In the back of the field, Hadjar has had a great start, climbing from fourteenth to tenth. As for tyre choices, most drivers have opted for the medium compound, with the exception of Norris, Hadjar, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Doohan, Ocon, and Bortoleto, who are on the hard compound.
Battles during the comeback
Meanwhile, Lando Norris begins his recovery to climb back to the top positions: from lap 13 to 15 he’s involved in a short battle with Lewis Hamilton, with a series of overtakes between turn 27 and the main straight. Driver #4 manages to complete the move, moving up to sixth place. His next target is Antonelli, with the gap shrinking in just a few laps. Norris makes the move on the Italian at the start of lap 19, moving into fifth place.
Lap 20/50: the pit stop phase begins
Oscar Piastri is called in for a stop, switching to hard tyres. He comes out sixth, ahead of Sainz. A great call by McLaren, which allows the Australian to rejoin ahead of the Spaniard, thus avoiding traffic. Antonelli also pits on the same lap.
The next lap, Russell comes in, and on lap twenty-two it’s time for Max Verstappen’s stop, during which he serves his five-second penalty. Despite having set several fast laps, the Dutchman is unable to stay ahead of Oscar Piastri. At lap 25/50, the situation sees Charles Leclerc in the lead, followed by: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, Russell, Hadjar, Antonelli, Hamilton, Stroll, and Hulkenberg.
Hamilton struggles, Leclerc impresses
Driver #44 struggled significantly in the first stint, unlike Leclerc, who in his stint as race leader (from lap 25 to 30) posted excellent lap times. Consider that compared to Max Verstappen (who had already pitted), he was only two-tenths slower. A fantastic stint for the Monegasque, with truly consistent pace. On lap thirty, it’s time for his pit stop. Hard tyres for #16, who comes out in fifth, three seconds behind Russell.
Charles Leclerc’s times after the stop remain steady at 1’39”4, allowing him to close the gap to driver #63 within a few laps, reaching DRS range by lap thirty-seven. The Monegasque overtakes the Brit on the following lap on the straight, completing the move at turn 1. Meanwhile, Lando Norris has completed his stop (on lap 34), dropping from second to fifth. The Papaya driver wastes no time in closing the gap to Russell, overtaking him on lap 41.
Meanwhile, at the back…
Lap 45/50: Behind Hamilton, there’s an interesting battle between Sainz, Albon, and Hadjar for eighth place. A solid race by all three, especially Sainz, who for the first time delivers a consistent performance. Behind them are Lawson and Alonso. The two Haas drivers are struggling, this time further from the points (Bearman thirteenth and Ocon fourteenth). The two Sauber drivers follow. Last is Jack Doohan, running a lonely race.
Fight for the podium
Final heart-pounding laps for Charles Leclerc, who clings tooth and nail to what would be his first podium of the season. The gap with Norris is really small (about a second and a half). Lapped cars don’t help, creating a fluctuating gap between the two podium contenders. With the tension of the podium fight hanging in the air, the final lap begins in Jeddah, with Oscar Piastri taking his second win of the season, making him the new championship leader.
Second is Max Verstappen, and third is a magnificent Charles Leclerc, who manages to hold off Lando Norris, sending a message of hope to himself, the team, and the fans. Here is the full classification of the Saudi Arabian GP.
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