The 24-year-old Australian driver found himself at the top of the standings, being the only multiple race winner so far this year. With his third win secured, he found himself 10 points ahead of his teammate, Lando Norris, replacing him for the current top spot.
Piastri made his case from turn one, getting his nose ahead of pole sitter Max Verstappen’s Red Bull at the apex of the turn. As a result, Verstappen found himself on the inside at turn 2, and left with nowhere to go, had to cut a corner to avoid a nasty collision.
Although Verstappen retained the lead, the stewards found him to have gained an advantage by leaving the track at turn 2, and was awarded a five-second penalty at his pit stop.
The penalty allowed Piastri to emerge three seconds ahead of Verstappen when both made their only pit stop of the race, and from then on Piastri led with the sole goal of finishing first, which he achieved!
Piastri’s 2025 campaign started off rocky, having slid off the track at his home race in Melbourne, but managed to come back strong with a win in China, Bahrain and now Saudi Arabia to add to the list.
McLaren is looking to make a comeback this year, with both drivers and cars looking strong.
“We still need more but it was a great race and weekend,” Piastri commented post Saudi, and with McLaren currently at the lead of both championships it is shaping up to be a good season for the team in papaya.