Was this the weekend momentum shifted decisively in the title race? It is still ridiculously early days, of course. We are only five races into a mammoth 24-race season. And the gap between the two McLaren drivers is only 10 points. And yet. There was something about the way Oscar Piastri won Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, refusing to be bullied by Max Verstappen at the start, controlling the race with a minimum of fuss once he had the lead, usurping his team-mate Lando Norris at the summit of the drivers’ championship with his third win of 2025 yet barely celebrating afterwards, which felt a bit ominous from Norris’s perspective.
As Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, said: “He [Piastri] looks like a veteran but it is just his 51st race in Formula One.”
Stella is right. Piastri, still just 24, is looking more and more at home at the sharp end of the grid. The Australian has always been a cool customer. In their first couple of seasons together his unflappability was seen as his super-strength, up against Norris’s pace and experience. Ultimately, the Briton had just enough in hand to finish on top.
But this season the man from Melbourne has definitely closed the gap on the pace front, and unless Norris tidies up his act quickly, Piastri is going to leave him in his dust.
Norris actually drove a very clean race from 10th on the grid to finish fourth in Jeddah, banking a useful number of points. But it was not perfect. He wasted two laps trying to pass Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the middle part of the race, which even Stella admitted may have cost him a podium.
Lewis Hamilton didn’t make it easy for Lando Norris! 😨#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/qD3toyVMpR
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Norris twice overtook his compatriot at the final corner, only for Hamilton, who knew exactly what he was doing, to claim back the position using DRS on the main straight. It was only the third time around that Norris waited until the main straight and got the move done into Turn 1.
Those vital seconds potentially proved costly. Norris was just one second behind Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc in the final podium position by the chequered flag, and closing fast.
“Yeah, I think you are right,” Stella conceded when it was put to him that Norris might have cost himself a podium taking too long to pass Hamilton. “When the racing is so tight, when it’s a matter of one or two seconds, then having lost the time with Lewis… that was a bit of a problem.
“Obviously, Lewis, he knows very well how to race. [Norris] took a couple of laps to realise that he needed to overtake into corner 1, and that was ultimately impactful to Lando’s chances of winning the podium.
“But there will be many ‘ifs’ here or there. The biggest thing was yesterday, with a good qualifying, what he could have done today.”
Indeed. Norris’s crash in qualifying on Saturday was obviously the real blunder. And the truth is it was part of a worrying pattern which has really changed the narrative as the first part of the season ends and we draw breath, briefly, before the trip to Miami in two weeks’ time. The struggles in China, the failure to take pole in Japan, the “messy” weekend in Bahrain when he qualified sixth and finished third, the crash in qualifying in Jeddah. All accompanied by brutal self-flagellation.
On the last point, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel actually defended Norris earlier in the week, describing the Briton’s introspection and willingness to talk about his mental state as a positive.
“I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness,” he said. “It might be criticised by some people, but if you look at the broader picture it’s just progress.”
Vettel may be right. But it is such a different approach to the likes of Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Hamilton and Verstappen, alpha males all, who rarely if ever show or showed signs of weakness or vulnerability. Piastri appears to be much more in that vein. The Australian’s move on Verstappen into Turn 1 brooked no argument. Profiting from an excellent launch from second on the grid, Piastri pulled level with the pole-sitter on the inside, forcing Verstappen to leave the track in order to stay ahead of the McLaren. Verstappen was duly handed a five-second penalty by the stewards, which dropped him back behind Piastri at the one and only pitstop of the race.
Behind them, Leclerc drove superbly for third, going long on his first stint and once again showing up Hamilton, who had a lonely race to seventh.
The race was otherwise fairly uneventful. Jeddah lived up to its reputation for delivering a safety car when Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly tangled on the first lap at Turn Four. But that was it for the interruptions.
“I make life tough for myself.” 🥲
Lando Norris reflects on missing out on a podium finish. pic.twitter.com/nd12Amg3NP
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 20, 2025
And so to Miami, where Norris has fond memories, of course. Miami was the scene of his maiden grand prix victory this time last year. Twelve months on, Norris finds himself in one sense much further on in his career. He is now a multiple grand prix winner, driving the quickest car. But he is still battling to prove he has what it takes. “I just make life tough for myself,” he reflected at the finish. “It would have been a lot more chill just to drive at the front. I’ve got to help myself out a little bit and have better Saturdays.” He needs to do it quickly. Piastri is clearly not prepared to play second fiddle any longer.
08:23 PM BST
The next race…
Is the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks’ time. Here are the session timings for that.
May 2
FP1 – 5.30pm BST
Sprint qualifying – 9.30pm
May 3
Sprint race – 5pm
Qualifying – 9pm
May 4
Race – 9pm
08:20 PM BST
More from Verstappen
“To be honest, I think any word towards that [the turn one incident] is just a waste of time for everyone. We talked about it a lot, last year, this year, different kind of rules. Honestly this is not my problem to be honest. The positive is that we had quite decent pace in the race. It did show that the change we made to the car from Friday to Saturday definitely helped a lot with tyre wear as well.
On the changes to racing rules he does not want to engage:
“It’s all written down so. It’s not in my interest [to appeal]. The only thing in my interest is to go home.”
08:17 PM BST
Horner on the lap one, turn one incident
“We have this notion of let them race, I don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner,” he tells Sky Sports F1.
He then speaks positively of the team’s performance this weekend. “Good points, important points today… everything to play for.”
08:13 PM BST
Driver of the day: Verstappen
Fair enough, really.
Your votes are in! 🗳️
The @Salesforce Driver of the Day is Max Verstappen 👏#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/QRrzuVCGse
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
08:10 PM BST
Not totally sure about Norris’s claims there
I think there is some truth in it, but would largely say he protests too much. Is it a defence mechanism to make him look better for making a few costly mistakes in the fastest car? I guess in a roundabout way he is saying “we have the fastest car, but not by that much”. Hard to argue too much with that, but was Verstappen the fastest car out there today, really? I do not think so. Piastri could have won that by a lot more if he pushed himself.
08:00 PM BST
Norris reacts to fourth position
“I think it’s the best we could have done today. It’s a shame to miss out on a podium. We were close. Charles drove a good first stint… not enough to get him but I think I’m pleased on the whole I just make life tough for myself especially when it’s a race like that. It would have been much easier, a lot more chill just to drive at the front. I’ve got to help myself out a little bit and have better Saturdays.”
“I think Max was the quickest out there today if he didn’t have a five-second penalty, so we have work to do. People keep saying that we’re the best, we’re the quickest. It’s just because we show a bit more pace in practice and we don’t have anything left when we get to quali. If we didn’t do it that way we’d be even further back. We have a great car and probably the quickest on average for sure but not enough. We’re not quick enough in the straights… we’ve got no advantage on any other team. We’ve just got to be patient and keep working hard.”
07:55 PM BST
That winning feeling
07:53 PM BST
Zak Brown speaks to Sky Sports F1
“The team did a great job especially given the state of Lando’s car overnight. I think Lando drove great, Oscar was flawless. Pretty awesome the team on the pit wall had the right strategy. I think he had a little bit more… I’m not going to complain. We thought if everything went according to plan a podium [for Norris] was possible and we were wrong by about 1.2seconds. I think we achieved maximum result based on where we started today.”
On the Verstappen incident:
“I definitely thought a penalty was deserved. Oscar was clearly up the inside and you need to use the race track, whether it’s a five-second penalty or give the place back. It was Oscar’s corner and at some point you’ve gotta just concede.”
07:49 PM BST
Updated constructor standings
Mercedes cement their position in second with a decent points haul, though their race pace was not brilliant it has to be said. Williams now move above Haas for fifth with a double-points finish. Red Bull lose ground to Ferrari with Tsunoda’s DNF.
07:47 PM BST
Updated driver standings
Piastri’s third win gives him the championship lead by 10 points ahead of Norris and Verstappen a further two points back. Only three drivers to score points this year: Lawson, Doohan and Bortoleto.
07:41 PM BST
Was it a protest from Verstappen?
Not sure. He did the interview with David Coulthard, it was just short. It’s not like he was that aggressive in the car when told of his penalty but perhaps he just wanted to avoid saying anything that might bring him a fine. Let’s see.
07:39 PM BST
Leclerc on his and Ferrari’s first podium of 2025
“It’s the way it is right now, in qualifying we don’t manage to extract more from the car. I was very happy with the race today, I think we maximised absolutely everything. I think we can see it [the relationship with his race engineer] on track and it’s showing good results. I think this race was about defending the cars behind, especially Kimi, so it’s really good. Hopefully the upgrades are coming soon.”
07:37 PM BST
Verstappen protests the FIA with a short interview?
“I am going to keep it quite short, I just want to say a big thank you to the fans in Jeddah. It’s been a great weekend. The rest is what it is, I am looking forward to Miami so see you there.”
07:35 PM BST
Winner Piastri reacts to his victory
“Looking for a couch. It was a tough race, very happy to have won. Made the difference at the start… that was enough, it was really tricky to follow. I couldn’t really stay with Max at the end of the first stint, just chewed my tyres. Still need a bit more, Max was a little bit too close for my liking. Once I got in the inside I wasn’t coming out of turn one in second. I tried my best… I thought I was plenty far enough up and in the end that’s what got me the race.”
07:33 PM BST
Four cars within 10 seconds
Pretty good, but I fear Piastri had much, much more in the bank that he did not use. Russell ended up 27 seconds behind winner Piastri and 18 seconds behind Norris.
Another rough old race for Hamilton.
07:32 PM BST
Piastri celebrates his third win of 2025
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 20, 2025
07:31 PM BST
A fortnight break is probably what a lot of these drivers need
Norris in particular. You might be able to say the same for Hamilton but, truthfully, I think he needs as much time in this car as he can get. Problem for him is that there’s a sprint race weekend in Miami next up. So only one hour of practice.
07:28 PM BST
Saudi Arabian GP – Top 10
- PIA 25pts
- VER 18pts
- LEC 15pts
- NOR 12pts
- RUS 10pts
- ANT 8pts
- HAM 6pts
- SAI 4pts
- ALB 2pts
- HAD 1pt
07:27 PM BST
OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX!
With it he takes the lead of the championship. A calm, error-free drive without any danger, really.
Verstappen second, Leclerc third and Norris fourth. He didn’t have the pace to beat the Ferrari driver. The first podium of the season for the Scuderia…
07:26 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Does Norris have the pace? I don’t think so… Leclerc may have been saving battery life for this.
Piastri 2.7sec ahead of Verstappen and sets the fastest middle sector of the race. I don’t think he has really been pushing in this final stint.
07:25 PM BST
Lap 49 of 50 – Norris in fourth trails Leclerc by 1.5sec
Piastri now 2.6sec ahead of Verstappen. Not an enormous margin by any means. One mistake could end it all…
He has some cars to lap, though…
Verstappen is safe in second. Norris is honing in on the rear wing of the Ferrari as they enter the final lap but he doesn’t have DRS on the pit straight…
07:23 PM BST
Lap 48 of 50 – Top six and gaps
- PIA
- VER +3.5
- LEC +8.5
- NOR +10.0
- RUS +24.2
- ANT +35.0
Russell has some concerns about his tyres getting to the end of the race.
07:22 PM BST
Lap 47 of 50 – Norris still 1.8sec behind Leclerc
Russell has totally fallen off the back of this fight now – 12 seconds behind Norris now. I think the only battle now is Norris in fourth vs Leclerc in third. Verstappen will almost certainly have the place to keep his second place.
07:20 PM BST
Lap 46 of 50 – Norris now just 1.8sec behind Leclerc
Leclerc’s last lap was significantly slower (0.6sec) than Verstappen though… he’s not in traffic now, though Doohan was lapped fairly recently.
Piastri leads Verstappen by 2.9sec. Piastri was baulked slightly I think when lapping. It is allowing Verstappen to catch slightly.
07:18 PM BST
Lap 45 of 50 – Plenty of action behind Piastri, though
Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris are all in contention for second and third.
07:17 PM BST
Lap 44 of 50 – Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.1sec
The McLaren man is cruising to his third victory of the season.
07:16 PM BST
Lap 43 of 50 – Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.3sec
No further investigation for Norris on the pit-lane exit issue. He has 3.2sec behind Leclerc who is 5.3sec behind Verstappen. Don’t think Leclerc quite has the pace to catch Verstappen. Norris might have the pace to catch Leclerc.
07:15 PM BST
Lap 42 of 50 – Top 10
- PIA
- VER
- LEC
- NOR
- RUS
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- ALB
- HAD
Good race for Williams if they can bring their cars home here.
07:14 PM BST
Lap 41 of 50 – Leclerc has good pace…
But so does Norris, who was nearly half a second faster than him the last time around is now only 3.7sec away from the lead Ferrari.
Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.1sec.
Replays inconclusive over Norris crossing the pit-lane exit line.
07:11 PM BST
Lap 40 of 50 – Norris noted for pit-lane exit infringement
Hmmm. Could this be another penalty? Did he cross the white line?
Either way he’s right on the rear wing of his old mate George Russell and gets the position as they cross the finish line. He’s into fourth, with Leclerc 4.2sec ahead.
07:09 PM BST
Lap 39 of 50 – Think Verstappen might be OK actually
Norris is 11.8sec behind but is lapping around 0.6sec per lap faster only, which wouldn’t be enough. Leclerc’s last lap was slower than Verstappen, though. Can’t see that Verstappen’s hard tyres are going to drop off totally. Piastri likely cruising to victory here, though.
07:08 PM BST
Lap 38 of 50 – Leclerc gets Russell for third!
He is driving a great race. Meanwhile Norris sets the fastest lap of the race. Verstappen now seven seconds up the road. I think Verstappen might struggle to stay on the podium today if Leclerc and Norris can keep up their pace. Don’t know whether Verstappen has anything in reserve.
10-second penalty for Lawson for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Didn’t see what that was for.
07:05 PM BST
Lap 37 of 50 – Top 10
Everyone here has stopped. Stroll in 11th the only man not to have pitted.
- PIA
- VER
- RUS
- LEC
- NOR
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- ALB
- HAD
07:04 PM BST
Lap 36 of 50 – Leclerc nearly within DRS range of Russell for third
Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.5sec, Russell 11.1sec behind him, Leclerc 1.1sec behind him and Norris 5.6sec behind him.
07:02 PM BST
Lap 35 of 50 – Norris pits from the lead
Piastri was starting to hit the dirty air and was within two seconds. Norris comes in for fresh mediums. 2.6sec stationary for the McLaren driver. Piastri, Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc all overtake Norris who comes into fifth. This could be a mighty battle for second. Replays show Norris locks up heading into the pits but hopefully he got the car slowed down in time.
LAP 35/50
A big lock-up for Norris as he heads to the pit lane from the race lead! 💨#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/jUwBw1tv32
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
07:01 PM BST
Lap 34 of 50 – Good news for leader Norris
Not only does he have good pace, he has a nice big gap to come out of behind Leclerc and ahead of Antonelli. Leclerc is keeping his good pace up.
07:00 PM BST
Lap 33 of 50 – Leclerc only 8.3sec behind Verstappen
On much fresher tyres and lapping much faster. Interesting.
It could be a three-way fight for second place. Lando’s plan is to “keep extending” and Piastri says the dirty air is starting to affect him behind.
06:58 PM BST
Lap 32 of 50 – Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- PIA +3.0
- VER +7.8
- RUS +13.6
- LEC +16.3
- ANT +28.1
- HAD +31.1
- HAM +35.0
- SAI +47.4
- ALB +49.0
A pretty distant race for Hamilton today. Leclerc now the fastest man on track, 2.5sec behind Russell in the battle for fourth.
06:56 PM BST
Lap 31 of 50 – Norris leads Piastri by 3.3sec
LAP 31/50
The gap between Norris and Piastri up front is just over three seconds, with the former yet to pit in this race 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/0ZfW4CyzQS
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
06:56 PM BST
Lap 30 of 50 – Leclerc pitted from the mediums to the hards
Norris, when he pits, will go from the hards to the mediums. Driving a good race here. A 1:33.156 for Norris, which is only 0.2sec slower than Piastri behind on 19-lap fresher tyres. Impressive stuff.
06:55 PM BST
Lap 29 of 50 – Leclerc finally pits from the lead
2.0sec in the stop. Good stuff. Norris assumes the lead as Leclerc comes out 16.6sec behind Russell with a nine-lap tyre advantage. Will he be able to use that to claim a podium? Or will Norris play a part?
06:53 PM BST
Lap 28 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris by 3.3sec
Lead two around 0.5sec per lap slower than Piastri and Verstappen. Piastri just managing his pace and tyres at the moment you feel. Norris 3.9sec ahead so dirty air not a huge issue for him. The important thing is keeping a buffer to Verstappen behind.
06:51 PM BST
Lap 27 of 50 – Top 10 as it stands
- LEC
- NOR
- PIA
- VER
- RUS
- HAD
- ANT
- HAM
- STR
- HUL
Leclerc, Norris, Hadkar, Stroll and Hulkenberg yet to stop. Verstappen still 4.3sec behind Piastri for what is the net race lead.
06:50 PM BST
Lap 26 of 50 – Piastri is now 4.4sec ahead of Verstappen
Both lapping fairly similarly. Norris and Leclerc still with decent pace. In fact, Leclerc set the fastest first sector of the race, though Verstappen then beats that by 0.007sec. Will be interesting to see what the Ferrari can do in the final stint, likewise Norris.
06:48 PM BST
Lap 25 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris by 3.462sec
Piastri the fastest man on track but only 0.5-0.6sec faster than Norris ahead. Norris will want to run perhaps for another 10 or so laps, try to gain an advantage from putting fresh mediums on for a shorter final stint. Also the longer you run, the greater chance of a cheap stop under the VSC or SC…
06:47 PM BST
Lap 24 of 50 – Top 10
- LEC
- NOR +3.284
- PIA +9.162
- VER +13.559
- RUS +16.656
- HAD +24.819
- ANT +26.704
- HAM +35.024
- STR +37.699
- HUL +39.407
Drivers in bold have yet to stop.
06:45 PM BST
Lap 23 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris
Neither of them have stopped yet. Their pace is decent… faster than Piastri in fact. What has Verstappen got here. He has Hamilton in his sights… the grip is so much greater on the Red Bull but Hamilton is defending well through the high-speed sector. This is costing Verstappen, probably a second or so so far.
Hamilton comes into the pits but Verstappen goes around the outside anway to take the position. 3.8sec the difference between the two, Piastri now the fastest man on track.
06:42 PM BST
Lap 22 of 50 – Piastri ahead of Verstappen!
That was to be expected, of course, but the difference is about three seconds now with Hamilton between them. Leclerc leads on old medium tyres and Norris in second on old (well, 21 laps) hard tyres.
06:41 PM BST
Lap 21 of 50 – Russell stops from second
How long will Verstappen go? Remember he has a five-second penalty to serve when he next stops, that should drop him from the lead. Is he trying for a tyre offset here? Piastri was about a tenth and a half quicker in the first sector but has Hamilton right ahead of him.
Verstappen is being called into the pits as Piastri goes around the outside at turn 22! Bold. Let’s see how leader Verstappens’ stop plays out.
LAP 22/50
Verstappen heads into the pits and takes his penalty too 📦
The McLaren of Piastri is now ahead of him on track#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/FTFYYZCHLD
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
06:39 PM BST
Lap 20 of 50 – Verstappen leads Russell by 9.1sec
Verstappen was told that he was pulling ahead of the drivers behind and that his pace was good, which he was and it was. Verstappen told to push.
06:38 PM BST
Lap 19 of 50 – Norris into fifth ahead of Antonelli
LAP 19/50
Norris has Antonelli in his sights and the McLaren driver passes into the first corner! 💨
That’s Norris into P5 in his fight back through the field#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/kSCSQkJY6x
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
He is on the hard tyre so could be a fixture in this race.
McLaren call in Piastri to the pits… where will he come out? Is it a dummy, though? Nope. Red Bull mechanics come out but Verstappen stays out.
It’s a slow-ish stop for McLaren but nothing disastrous. Probably lost a second or so. Antonelli also pits. Piastri comes out behind Hamilton but ahead of Sainz.
06:37 PM BST
Lap 18 of 50 – Norris with good pace here
He closes up on the Mercedes of Antonelli on the pit straight…
06:35 PM BST
Lap 17 of 50 – One-third distance
Verstappen increases his lead to 2.3sec. Norris chases Anotnelli for fifth and is 1.5sec behind the Italian.
06:33 PM BST
Lap 16 of 50 – Hamilton on the radio
“I’m just sliding around out here mate,” he says. Rears overheating and he cannot turn them, he says. We are approaching the pit stop window. Who will blink first? Leclerc? He would come out into traffic, probably behind Alonso.
06:32 PM BST
Lap 15 of 50 – Norris finally gets Hamilton
DRS assisted down the pit straight. Piastri has now slipped back to 1.5sec or so behind Verstappen put front.
Here’s the top 10:
- VER
- PIA +1.6
- RUS +5.9
- LEC +8.9
- ANT +12.9
- NOR +15.0
- HAM +16.5
- SAI +18.9
- ALB +20.9
- HAD +22.4
Verstappen now more than five seconds clear of Russell in third.
06:30 PM BST
Lap 14 of 50 – Deja vu for Norris
He again takes Hamilton at the final corner and is then done by Hamilton who has DRS on the pit straight. Needs to be smarter.
06:28 PM BST
Lap 13 of 50 – Lower order update
11. ALO
12. LAW
13. BEA
14. STR
15. HUL
16. DOO
17. OCO
18. BOR
OUT: TSU, GAS
06:27 PM BST
Lap 12 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 0.9sec
Not much happening out front, really. Lead is fairly stable. Norris could well get Hamilton on this lap. He is very close as they enter the final hairpin and gets him there. Problem is he is not very smart and loses the place because Hamilton has DRS and retakes the place on the next lap.
06:26 PM BST
Lap 11 of 50 – Verstappen with good pace
Piastri just in and out of the one-second mark to Verstappen ahead. Norris now within DRS range of Hamilton. I think it makes sense for Piastri to just bide his time, though he is quite close as they go down the pit straight.
06:24 PM BST
Lap 10 of 50 – Piastri gets DRS but not close enough for a look
Norris takes a tenth out of Hamilton in the fight for sixth. Russell is now 2.7sec behind Piastri and still within the five-second mark behind Verstappen. Leclerc is slipping back and is 6.2sec behind leader Verstappen.
06:22 PM BST
Lap 9 of 50 – Norris vs Hamilton
Hamilton marginally the faster man on the last lap.
06:21 PM BST
Lap 8 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 1.1sec
Decent pace really, but he does have the clean air. Piastri doesn’t really need to get too worried if he stays close enough, he can pass Verstappen in the stops without too much trouble. He knows he has that five-second advantage coming to him in the bank. And he can even extend that if the undercut is strong.
06:19 PM BST
Lap 7 of 50 – Norris gets Sainz for seventh
DRS assisted and into turn one.
Verstappen’s penalty would drop him back to fourth as it stands.
Top 10 and gaps:
- VER
- PIA +0.9
- RUS +3.2
- LEC +5.1
- ANT +5.8
- HAM +7.9
- NOR +9.4
- SAI +10.2
- ALB +11.3
- HAD +12.1
06:18 PM BST
Lap 6 of 50 – Verstappen with a good first sector
He gets himself out of DRS range but let’s see how Piastri responds. Takes a tenth back in the rest of the lap. Norris close to Sainz down the pit straight…
06:16 PM BST
Lap 5 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 1.06sec
Almost within DRS range. Norris in eighth. Hamilton in sixth and chasing Antonelli.
Verstappen has been told he has been given a five-second time penalty and is told to keep his head down.
“Yeah, that is f—— lovely,” he says on the radio.
Piastri now within DRS range as we get to the final sector…
Norris chasing down old team-mate Sainz for seventh.
06:14 PM BST
Lap 4 of 50 – Race restarts!
Verstappen goes early and Piastri is vulnerable to the Mercedes of Russell behind. But he sees off the threat at turn one.
🟢 Green flag 🟢
Verstappen leads the field away but he has just been handed a five-second penalty! 👀
Piastri fends off a challenge from Russell at the restart#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/UI5qmKxvIW
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Verstappen keeps the lead though has been given a five-second time penalty…
He will be trying to extend his lead out front to beyond that. Will he be able to? He has got a healthy lead after two sectors though I would imagine a lot of that came as he got on the gas early out of the final corner.
06:11 PM BST
Lap 3 of 50 – Safety Car in at the end of this lap
Stewards have noted the incident between Verstappen and Piastri. Piastri had the corner in my view and Verstappen just didn’t take the corner as you normally would, leaving it around the outside. He had no intention of taking that corner, though he says he was forced off. He is wrong in my view.
06:08 PM BST
Lap 2 of 50 – Top 10
- VER
- PIA
- RUS
- LEC
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- NOR
- ALB
- ALO
“He needs to give that back, I was ahead,” Piastri says on the radio. Tsunoda comes back into the pit lane. A few backmarkers stop for fresh tyres. Not sure Tsunoda is going to be able to carry on. It’s a long stop and the engine comes off. Too much damage, it seems.
06:07 PM BST
THE 2025 SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!
It’s a better start for Piastri who goes side-by-side into turn one with Verstappen for the lead! Verstappen runs off and keeps the lead and I think that will almost certainly be a five-second penalty unless he gives the place back. But I need to have another look to be sure. Verstappen did not back off and will almost certainly claim he was pushed off.
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO! 🚦
Verstappen runs off track but keeps the lead, while a safety car is deployed after a crash between Tsunoda and Gasly! pic.twitter.com/PmktlXg3s8
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) April 20, 2025
Further back Gasly and Tsunoda have collided, it seems and have gone backwards into the wall. Both men are out. Yellow flags which then swiftly becomes the Safety Car. Wait, Tsunoda is going again. Gasly is not. A bit of a racing incident between Gasly and Tsunoda I feel. Not that Gasly did anything wrong.
06:05 PM BST
They line up on the grid
Verstappen points slightly towards Piastri but also to the apex of turn one. Bortoleto takes his 20th grid slot and we are set to race…
06:02 PM BST
The formation lap begins under lights
The anticipation builds as the formation lap begins! 🤩
Max Verstappen leads the field away for the start… 👇#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/gQbjdohVIJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Plenty of fresh shiny tyres out there. Medium to hard, one stop after 19 laps will be the optimum strategy according to tyre manufacturers Pirelli.
05:59 PM BST
Starting tyre types
Mediums for everyone apart from Norris in 10th, Hadjar in 14th, Stroll in 16th and Hulkenberg in 18th. Should be a one-stop race assuming no Safety Car, but then there probably will be one of those…
05:56 PM BST
Five minutes until the formation lap
Predictions? Here’s my top six.
- PIA
- RUS
- VER
- NOR
- LEC
- ANT
05:53 PM BST
Saudi GP: Starting grid
2. PIA 1. VER
4. LEC 3. RUS
6. SAI 5. ANT
8. TSU 7. HAM
10. NOR 9. GAS
12. LAW 11. ALB
14. HAD 13. ALO
16. STR 15. BEA
18. HUL 17. DOO
20. BOR 19. OCO
05:51 PM BST
Pole man Verstappen speaks to Sky Sports F1
“It’s a little bit warmer than yesterday again, I think it’s going to be a battle anyway whatever the temperature with [McLaren]. Hopefully we just find a bit more consistency and then on the hard tyre… I don’t know”
05:47 PM BST
Action stations on the Jeddah grid
20 minutes to go until the formation lap begins ⏰
The grid is getting busy! 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/7Gg1ZGNks4
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
I will have that final starting grid with you shortly, though it is largely as it was at the end of qualifying yesterday.
05:41 PM BST
Constructor standings
Plenty of opportunity for change in those teams behind McLaren today. Mercedes doing a decent job overall thanks to the solid and consistent work of George Russell. That is maybe doing him a slight disservice. He has been quick as well.
05:38 PM BST
Current driver standings
I would be surprised if Norris is leading this at the end of the day but far stranger things have happened in F1.
05:33 PM BST
How Norris’s qualifying ended
Certainly not what he wanted given the last week of scrutiny of his driving and mentality. A significant price to pay for his error. Not the easiest track to overtake on but the McLaren should be the car to beat today still. I wouldn’t rule out a podium by any means.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
Lando Norris crashes at start of Q3! He reports he is ok in the car. pic.twitter.com/DuiR9ABEPy
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
05:28 PM BST
Qualifying head-to-heads 2025
Some of these are close. Others less so. It’s good to see Sainz finding his feet in the Williams, though.
05:25 PM BST
The pit lane is open…
Heading out to the Grid 🙌 pic.twitter.com/648Q7ZyN9T
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 20, 2025
05:24 PM BST
Another tough qualifying for Hamilton
He now trails team-mate Charles Leclerc 4-2 in qualifying (no disaster), is on average 0.2sec slower on average (again, no disaster) but his average qualifying position is 1.6 places worse than the Monegasque. A big part of that is flattered by his sprint race pole, too. In the qualifying sessions since China (where he was ahead in both the sprint and main race) he has been 0.311sec, 0.597sec and 0.432sec slower than his team-mate. It doesn’t seem to suggest that he is getting on top of the SF-25.
05:17 PM BST
Five races and six qualifying sessions into 2025
It is, then, a good time to look at some statistics for how the teams and drivers stack up over one flying lap. First up is how the teams look in qualifying. This is essentially how fast each team is on average compared to the fastest overall qualifying lap of the weekend, expressed as a percentage.
For reference, over a 100-second (1min40sec) lap, a car one second slower than the fastest lap would be expressed as a 1.0 per cent difference.
05:13 PM BST
Watch: Verstappen’s pole lap
Onboard with the four-time and current world champion with his second pole position lap of the season.
How Max Vertsappen snatched pole by 0.010 seconds! 🤯😮 pic.twitter.com/DOnR7Jkj6S
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Close to perfect. The slight slipstream from Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda down the pit straight probably proved decisive in the end.
05:04 PM BST
Times after qualifying
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1m 27.294s
- Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:27.304
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.407
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari HP 1:27.670
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:27.866
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Atlassian Williams 1:28.164
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari HP 1:28.201
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:28.204
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:28.367
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:27.481
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Atlassian Williams 1:28.109
- Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:28.191
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:28.303
- Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:28.418
- Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:28.648
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:28.645
- Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:28.739
- Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:28.782
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:29.092
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:29.462
04:49 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Qualifying yesterday repeated the pattern of the season so far. That is to say that McLaren looked utterly dominant coming into the session but then were pegged back significantly, with a three-way scrap for pole position. In the end they did not even claim pole, for the second time (third if you count the sprint) this year.
In the end it was Max Verstappen who pulled out another stunning lap to rival his Suzuka pole a fortnight ago. The margin over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was minuscule – just 0.010sec in the end. Mercedes’ George Russell was a little more than a tenth of a second further back in third.
Before qualifying it looked like it would be a straight shootout between Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris but the Briton put an end to any hopes of that by shoving his McLaren into the wall in the final corner in the first part of Q3. He starts today’s race from 10th and has a struggle on his hands to keep his championship lead.
Charles Leclerc got the most from his Ferrari to place fourth but he was nearly four tenths of a second away from Verstappen’s time. It’s not a huge margin but a) you would not expect them to be a fixture in the race and b) there are three other cars that are faster than them over one lap anyway. It is not a disaster by any means but sums up where Ferrari are at the moment: bottom of the leading pack. Lewis Hamilton was back in seventh but nearly one second off the pace.
The race begins in a little under an hour and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from Jeddah.
Was this the weekend momentum shifted decisively in the title race? It is still ridiculously early days, of course. We are only five races into a mammoth 24-race season. And the gap between the two McLaren drivers is only 10 points. And yet. There was something about the way Oscar Piastri won Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, refusing to be bullied by Max Verstappen at the start, controlling the race with a minimum of fuss once he had the lead, usurping his team-mate Lando Norris at the summit of the drivers’ championship with his third win of 2025 yet barely celebrating afterwards, which felt a bit ominous from Norris’s perspective.
As Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, said: “He [Piastri] looks like a veteran but it is just his 51st race in Formula One.”
Stella is right. Piastri, still just 24, is looking more and more at home at the sharp end of the grid. The Australian has always been a cool customer. In their first couple of seasons together his unflappability was seen as his super-strength, up against Norris’s pace and experience. Ultimately, the Briton had just enough in hand to finish on top.
But this season the man from Melbourne has definitely closed the gap on the pace front, and unless Norris tidies up his act quickly, Piastri is going to leave him in his dust.
Norris actually drove a very clean race from 10th on the grid to finish fourth in Jeddah, banking a useful number of points. But it was not perfect. He wasted two laps trying to pass Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the middle part of the race, which even Stella admitted may have cost him a podium.
Lewis Hamilton didn’t make it easy for Lando Norris! 😨#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/qD3toyVMpR
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Norris twice overtook his compatriot at the final corner, only for Hamilton, who knew exactly what he was doing, to claim back the position using DRS on the main straight. It was only the third time around that Norris waited until the main straight and got the move done into Turn 1.
Those vital seconds potentially proved costly. Norris was just one second behind Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc in the final podium position by the chequered flag, and closing fast.
“Yeah, I think you are right,” Stella conceded when it was put to him that Norris might have cost himself a podium taking too long to pass Hamilton. “When the racing is so tight, when it’s a matter of one or two seconds, then having lost the time with Lewis… that was a bit of a problem.
“Obviously, Lewis, he knows very well how to race. [Norris] took a couple of laps to realise that he needed to overtake into corner 1, and that was ultimately impactful to Lando’s chances of winning the podium.
“But there will be many ‘ifs’ here or there. The biggest thing was yesterday, with a good qualifying, what he could have done today.”
Indeed. Norris’s crash in qualifying on Saturday was obviously the real blunder. And the truth is it was part of a worrying pattern which has really changed the narrative as the first part of the season ends and we draw breath, briefly, before the trip to Miami in two weeks’ time. The struggles in China, the failure to take pole in Japan, the “messy” weekend in Bahrain when he qualified sixth and finished third, the crash in qualifying in Jeddah. All accompanied by brutal self-flagellation.
On the last point, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel actually defended Norris earlier in the week, describing the Briton’s introspection and willingness to talk about his mental state as a positive.
“I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness,” he said. “It might be criticised by some people, but if you look at the broader picture it’s just progress.”
Vettel may be right. But it is such a different approach to the likes of Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Hamilton and Verstappen, alpha males all, who rarely if ever show or showed signs of weakness or vulnerability. Piastri appears to be much more in that vein. The Australian’s move on Verstappen into Turn 1 brooked no argument. Profiting from an excellent launch from second on the grid, Piastri pulled level with the pole-sitter on the inside, forcing Verstappen to leave the track in order to stay ahead of the McLaren. Verstappen was duly handed a five-second penalty by the stewards, which dropped him back behind Piastri at the one and only pitstop of the race.
Behind them, Leclerc drove superbly for third, going long on his first stint and once again showing up Hamilton, who had a lonely race to seventh.
The race was otherwise fairly uneventful. Jeddah lived up to its reputation for delivering a safety car when Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly tangled on the first lap at Turn Four. But that was it for the interruptions.
“I make life tough for myself.” 🥲
Lando Norris reflects on missing out on a podium finish. pic.twitter.com/nd12Amg3NP
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 20, 2025
And so to Miami, where Norris has fond memories, of course. Miami was the scene of his maiden grand prix victory this time last year. Twelve months on, Norris finds himself in one sense much further on in his career. He is now a multiple grand prix winner, driving the quickest car. But he is still battling to prove he has what it takes. “I just make life tough for myself,” he reflected at the finish. “It would have been a lot more chill just to drive at the front. I’ve got to help myself out a little bit and have better Saturdays.” He needs to do it quickly. Piastri is clearly not prepared to play second fiddle any longer.
08:23 PM BST
The next race…
Is the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks’ time. Here are the session timings for that.
May 2
FP1 – 5.30pm BST
Sprint qualifying – 9.30pm
May 3
Sprint race – 5pm
Qualifying – 9pm
May 4
Race – 9pm
08:20 PM BST
More from Verstappen
“To be honest, I think any word towards that [the turn one incident] is just a waste of time for everyone. We talked about it a lot, last year, this year, different kind of rules. Honestly this is not my problem to be honest. The positive is that we had quite decent pace in the race. It did show that the change we made to the car from Friday to Saturday definitely helped a lot with tyre wear as well.
On the changes to racing rules he does not want to engage:
“It’s all written down so. It’s not in my interest [to appeal]. The only thing in my interest is to go home.”
08:17 PM BST
Horner on the lap one, turn one incident
“We have this notion of let them race, I don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner,” he tells Sky Sports F1.
He then speaks positively of the team’s performance this weekend. “Good points, important points today… everything to play for.”
08:13 PM BST
Driver of the day: Verstappen
Fair enough, really.
Your votes are in! 🗳️
The @Salesforce Driver of the Day is Max Verstappen 👏#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/QRrzuVCGse
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
08:10 PM BST
Not totally sure about Norris’s claims there
I think there is some truth in it, but would largely say he protests too much. Is it a defence mechanism to make him look better for making a few costly mistakes in the fastest car? I guess in a roundabout way he is saying “we have the fastest car, but not by that much”. Hard to argue too much with that, but was Verstappen the fastest car out there today, really? I do not think so. Piastri could have won that by a lot more if he pushed himself.
08:00 PM BST
Norris reacts to fourth position
“I think it’s the best we could have done today. It’s a shame to miss out on a podium. We were close. Charles drove a good first stint… not enough to get him but I think I’m pleased on the whole I just make life tough for myself especially when it’s a race like that. It would have been much easier, a lot more chill just to drive at the front. I’ve got to help myself out a little bit and have better Saturdays.”
“I think Max was the quickest out there today if he didn’t have a five-second penalty, so we have work to do. People keep saying that we’re the best, we’re the quickest. It’s just because we show a bit more pace in practice and we don’t have anything left when we get to quali. If we didn’t do it that way we’d be even further back. We have a great car and probably the quickest on average for sure but not enough. We’re not quick enough in the straights… we’ve got no advantage on any other team. We’ve just got to be patient and keep working hard.”
07:55 PM BST
That winning feeling
07:53 PM BST
Zak Brown speaks to Sky Sports F1
“The team did a great job especially given the state of Lando’s car overnight. I think Lando drove great, Oscar was flawless. Pretty awesome the team on the pit wall had the right strategy. I think he had a little bit more… I’m not going to complain. We thought if everything went according to plan a podium [for Norris] was possible and we were wrong by about 1.2seconds. I think we achieved maximum result based on where we started today.”
On the Verstappen incident:
“I definitely thought a penalty was deserved. Oscar was clearly up the inside and you need to use the race track, whether it’s a five-second penalty or give the place back. It was Oscar’s corner and at some point you’ve gotta just concede.”
07:49 PM BST
Updated constructor standings
Mercedes cement their position in second with a decent points haul, though their race pace was not brilliant it has to be said. Williams now move above Haas for fifth with a double-points finish. Red Bull lose ground to Ferrari with Tsunoda’s DNF.
07:47 PM BST
Updated driver standings
Piastri’s third win gives him the championship lead by 10 points ahead of Norris and Verstappen a further two points back. Only three drivers to score points this year: Lawson, Doohan and Bortoleto.
07:41 PM BST
Was it a protest from Verstappen?
Not sure. He did the interview with David Coulthard, it was just short. It’s not like he was that aggressive in the car when told of his penalty but perhaps he just wanted to avoid saying anything that might bring him a fine. Let’s see.
07:39 PM BST
Leclerc on his and Ferrari’s first podium of 2025
“It’s the way it is right now, in qualifying we don’t manage to extract more from the car. I was very happy with the race today, I think we maximised absolutely everything. I think we can see it [the relationship with his race engineer] on track and it’s showing good results. I think this race was about defending the cars behind, especially Kimi, so it’s really good. Hopefully the upgrades are coming soon.”
07:37 PM BST
Verstappen protests the FIA with a short interview?
“I am going to keep it quite short, I just want to say a big thank you to the fans in Jeddah. It’s been a great weekend. The rest is what it is, I am looking forward to Miami so see you there.”
07:35 PM BST
Winner Piastri reacts to his victory
“Looking for a couch. It was a tough race, very happy to have won. Made the difference at the start… that was enough, it was really tricky to follow. I couldn’t really stay with Max at the end of the first stint, just chewed my tyres. Still need a bit more, Max was a little bit too close for my liking. Once I got in the inside I wasn’t coming out of turn one in second. I tried my best… I thought I was plenty far enough up and in the end that’s what got me the race.”
07:33 PM BST
Four cars within 10 seconds
Pretty good, but I fear Piastri had much, much more in the bank that he did not use. Russell ended up 27 seconds behind winner Piastri and 18 seconds behind Norris.
Another rough old race for Hamilton.
07:32 PM BST
Piastri celebrates his third win of 2025
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 20, 2025
07:31 PM BST
A fortnight break is probably what a lot of these drivers need
Norris in particular. You might be able to say the same for Hamilton but, truthfully, I think he needs as much time in this car as he can get. Problem for him is that there’s a sprint race weekend in Miami next up. So only one hour of practice.
07:28 PM BST
Saudi Arabian GP – Top 10
- PIA 25pts
- VER 18pts
- LEC 15pts
- NOR 12pts
- RUS 10pts
- ANT 8pts
- HAM 6pts
- SAI 4pts
- ALB 2pts
- HAD 1pt
07:27 PM BST
OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX!
With it he takes the lead of the championship. A calm, error-free drive without any danger, really.
Verstappen second, Leclerc third and Norris fourth. He didn’t have the pace to beat the Ferrari driver. The first podium of the season for the Scuderia…
07:26 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Does Norris have the pace? I don’t think so… Leclerc may have been saving battery life for this.
Piastri 2.7sec ahead of Verstappen and sets the fastest middle sector of the race. I don’t think he has really been pushing in this final stint.
07:25 PM BST
Lap 49 of 50 – Norris in fourth trails Leclerc by 1.5sec
Piastri now 2.6sec ahead of Verstappen. Not an enormous margin by any means. One mistake could end it all…
He has some cars to lap, though…
Verstappen is safe in second. Norris is honing in on the rear wing of the Ferrari as they enter the final lap but he doesn’t have DRS on the pit straight…
07:23 PM BST
Lap 48 of 50 – Top six and gaps
- PIA
- VER +3.5
- LEC +8.5
- NOR +10.0
- RUS +24.2
- ANT +35.0
Russell has some concerns about his tyres getting to the end of the race.
07:22 PM BST
Lap 47 of 50 – Norris still 1.8sec behind Leclerc
Russell has totally fallen off the back of this fight now – 12 seconds behind Norris now. I think the only battle now is Norris in fourth vs Leclerc in third. Verstappen will almost certainly have the place to keep his second place.
07:20 PM BST
Lap 46 of 50 – Norris now just 1.8sec behind Leclerc
Leclerc’s last lap was significantly slower (0.6sec) than Verstappen though… he’s not in traffic now, though Doohan was lapped fairly recently.
Piastri leads Verstappen by 2.9sec. Piastri was baulked slightly I think when lapping. It is allowing Verstappen to catch slightly.
07:18 PM BST
Lap 45 of 50 – Plenty of action behind Piastri, though
Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris are all in contention for second and third.
07:17 PM BST
Lap 44 of 50 – Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.1sec
The McLaren man is cruising to his third victory of the season.
07:16 PM BST
Lap 43 of 50 – Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.3sec
No further investigation for Norris on the pit-lane exit issue. He has 3.2sec behind Leclerc who is 5.3sec behind Verstappen. Don’t think Leclerc quite has the pace to catch Verstappen. Norris might have the pace to catch Leclerc.
07:15 PM BST
Lap 42 of 50 – Top 10
- PIA
- VER
- LEC
- NOR
- RUS
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- ALB
- HAD
Good race for Williams if they can bring their cars home here.
07:14 PM BST
Lap 41 of 50 – Leclerc has good pace…
But so does Norris, who was nearly half a second faster than him the last time around is now only 3.7sec away from the lead Ferrari.
Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.1sec.
Replays inconclusive over Norris crossing the pit-lane exit line.
07:11 PM BST
Lap 40 of 50 – Norris noted for pit-lane exit infringement
Hmmm. Could this be another penalty? Did he cross the white line?
Either way he’s right on the rear wing of his old mate George Russell and gets the position as they cross the finish line. He’s into fourth, with Leclerc 4.2sec ahead.
07:09 PM BST
Lap 39 of 50 – Think Verstappen might be OK actually
Norris is 11.8sec behind but is lapping around 0.6sec per lap faster only, which wouldn’t be enough. Leclerc’s last lap was slower than Verstappen, though. Can’t see that Verstappen’s hard tyres are going to drop off totally. Piastri likely cruising to victory here, though.
07:08 PM BST
Lap 38 of 50 – Leclerc gets Russell for third!
He is driving a great race. Meanwhile Norris sets the fastest lap of the race. Verstappen now seven seconds up the road. I think Verstappen might struggle to stay on the podium today if Leclerc and Norris can keep up their pace. Don’t know whether Verstappen has anything in reserve.
10-second penalty for Lawson for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Didn’t see what that was for.
07:05 PM BST
Lap 37 of 50 – Top 10
Everyone here has stopped. Stroll in 11th the only man not to have pitted.
- PIA
- VER
- RUS
- LEC
- NOR
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- ALB
- HAD
07:04 PM BST
Lap 36 of 50 – Leclerc nearly within DRS range of Russell for third
Piastri leads Verstappen by 4.5sec, Russell 11.1sec behind him, Leclerc 1.1sec behind him and Norris 5.6sec behind him.
07:02 PM BST
Lap 35 of 50 – Norris pits from the lead
Piastri was starting to hit the dirty air and was within two seconds. Norris comes in for fresh mediums. 2.6sec stationary for the McLaren driver. Piastri, Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc all overtake Norris who comes into fifth. This could be a mighty battle for second. Replays show Norris locks up heading into the pits but hopefully he got the car slowed down in time.
LAP 35/50
A big lock-up for Norris as he heads to the pit lane from the race lead! 💨#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/jUwBw1tv32
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
07:01 PM BST
Lap 34 of 50 – Good news for leader Norris
Not only does he have good pace, he has a nice big gap to come out of behind Leclerc and ahead of Antonelli. Leclerc is keeping his good pace up.
07:00 PM BST
Lap 33 of 50 – Leclerc only 8.3sec behind Verstappen
On much fresher tyres and lapping much faster. Interesting.
It could be a three-way fight for second place. Lando’s plan is to “keep extending” and Piastri says the dirty air is starting to affect him behind.
06:58 PM BST
Lap 32 of 50 – Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- PIA +3.0
- VER +7.8
- RUS +13.6
- LEC +16.3
- ANT +28.1
- HAD +31.1
- HAM +35.0
- SAI +47.4
- ALB +49.0
A pretty distant race for Hamilton today. Leclerc now the fastest man on track, 2.5sec behind Russell in the battle for fourth.
06:56 PM BST
Lap 31 of 50 – Norris leads Piastri by 3.3sec
LAP 31/50
The gap between Norris and Piastri up front is just over three seconds, with the former yet to pit in this race 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/0ZfW4CyzQS
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
06:56 PM BST
Lap 30 of 50 – Leclerc pitted from the mediums to the hards
Norris, when he pits, will go from the hards to the mediums. Driving a good race here. A 1:33.156 for Norris, which is only 0.2sec slower than Piastri behind on 19-lap fresher tyres. Impressive stuff.
06:55 PM BST
Lap 29 of 50 – Leclerc finally pits from the lead
2.0sec in the stop. Good stuff. Norris assumes the lead as Leclerc comes out 16.6sec behind Russell with a nine-lap tyre advantage. Will he be able to use that to claim a podium? Or will Norris play a part?
06:53 PM BST
Lap 28 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris by 3.3sec
Lead two around 0.5sec per lap slower than Piastri and Verstappen. Piastri just managing his pace and tyres at the moment you feel. Norris 3.9sec ahead so dirty air not a huge issue for him. The important thing is keeping a buffer to Verstappen behind.
06:51 PM BST
Lap 27 of 50 – Top 10 as it stands
- LEC
- NOR
- PIA
- VER
- RUS
- HAD
- ANT
- HAM
- STR
- HUL
Leclerc, Norris, Hadkar, Stroll and Hulkenberg yet to stop. Verstappen still 4.3sec behind Piastri for what is the net race lead.
06:50 PM BST
Lap 26 of 50 – Piastri is now 4.4sec ahead of Verstappen
Both lapping fairly similarly. Norris and Leclerc still with decent pace. In fact, Leclerc set the fastest first sector of the race, though Verstappen then beats that by 0.007sec. Will be interesting to see what the Ferrari can do in the final stint, likewise Norris.
06:48 PM BST
Lap 25 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris by 3.462sec
Piastri the fastest man on track but only 0.5-0.6sec faster than Norris ahead. Norris will want to run perhaps for another 10 or so laps, try to gain an advantage from putting fresh mediums on for a shorter final stint. Also the longer you run, the greater chance of a cheap stop under the VSC or SC…
06:47 PM BST
Lap 24 of 50 – Top 10
- LEC
- NOR +3.284
- PIA +9.162
- VER +13.559
- RUS +16.656
- HAD +24.819
- ANT +26.704
- HAM +35.024
- STR +37.699
- HUL +39.407
Drivers in bold have yet to stop.
06:45 PM BST
Lap 23 of 50 – Leclerc leads Norris
Neither of them have stopped yet. Their pace is decent… faster than Piastri in fact. What has Verstappen got here. He has Hamilton in his sights… the grip is so much greater on the Red Bull but Hamilton is defending well through the high-speed sector. This is costing Verstappen, probably a second or so so far.
Hamilton comes into the pits but Verstappen goes around the outside anway to take the position. 3.8sec the difference between the two, Piastri now the fastest man on track.
06:42 PM BST
Lap 22 of 50 – Piastri ahead of Verstappen!
That was to be expected, of course, but the difference is about three seconds now with Hamilton between them. Leclerc leads on old medium tyres and Norris in second on old (well, 21 laps) hard tyres.
06:41 PM BST
Lap 21 of 50 – Russell stops from second
How long will Verstappen go? Remember he has a five-second penalty to serve when he next stops, that should drop him from the lead. Is he trying for a tyre offset here? Piastri was about a tenth and a half quicker in the first sector but has Hamilton right ahead of him.
Verstappen is being called into the pits as Piastri goes around the outside at turn 22! Bold. Let’s see how leader Verstappens’ stop plays out.
LAP 22/50
Verstappen heads into the pits and takes his penalty too 📦
The McLaren of Piastri is now ahead of him on track#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/FTFYYZCHLD
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
06:39 PM BST
Lap 20 of 50 – Verstappen leads Russell by 9.1sec
Verstappen was told that he was pulling ahead of the drivers behind and that his pace was good, which he was and it was. Verstappen told to push.
06:38 PM BST
Lap 19 of 50 – Norris into fifth ahead of Antonelli
LAP 19/50
Norris has Antonelli in his sights and the McLaren driver passes into the first corner! 💨
That’s Norris into P5 in his fight back through the field#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/kSCSQkJY6x
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
He is on the hard tyre so could be a fixture in this race.
McLaren call in Piastri to the pits… where will he come out? Is it a dummy, though? Nope. Red Bull mechanics come out but Verstappen stays out.
It’s a slow-ish stop for McLaren but nothing disastrous. Probably lost a second or so. Antonelli also pits. Piastri comes out behind Hamilton but ahead of Sainz.
06:37 PM BST
Lap 18 of 50 – Norris with good pace here
He closes up on the Mercedes of Antonelli on the pit straight…
06:35 PM BST
Lap 17 of 50 – One-third distance
Verstappen increases his lead to 2.3sec. Norris chases Anotnelli for fifth and is 1.5sec behind the Italian.
06:33 PM BST
Lap 16 of 50 – Hamilton on the radio
“I’m just sliding around out here mate,” he says. Rears overheating and he cannot turn them, he says. We are approaching the pit stop window. Who will blink first? Leclerc? He would come out into traffic, probably behind Alonso.
06:32 PM BST
Lap 15 of 50 – Norris finally gets Hamilton
DRS assisted down the pit straight. Piastri has now slipped back to 1.5sec or so behind Verstappen put front.
Here’s the top 10:
- VER
- PIA +1.6
- RUS +5.9
- LEC +8.9
- ANT +12.9
- NOR +15.0
- HAM +16.5
- SAI +18.9
- ALB +20.9
- HAD +22.4
Verstappen now more than five seconds clear of Russell in third.
06:30 PM BST
Lap 14 of 50 – Deja vu for Norris
He again takes Hamilton at the final corner and is then done by Hamilton who has DRS on the pit straight. Needs to be smarter.
06:28 PM BST
Lap 13 of 50 – Lower order update
11. ALO
12. LAW
13. BEA
14. STR
15. HUL
16. DOO
17. OCO
18. BOR
OUT: TSU, GAS
06:27 PM BST
Lap 12 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 0.9sec
Not much happening out front, really. Lead is fairly stable. Norris could well get Hamilton on this lap. He is very close as they enter the final hairpin and gets him there. Problem is he is not very smart and loses the place because Hamilton has DRS and retakes the place on the next lap.
06:26 PM BST
Lap 11 of 50 – Verstappen with good pace
Piastri just in and out of the one-second mark to Verstappen ahead. Norris now within DRS range of Hamilton. I think it makes sense for Piastri to just bide his time, though he is quite close as they go down the pit straight.
06:24 PM BST
Lap 10 of 50 – Piastri gets DRS but not close enough for a look
Norris takes a tenth out of Hamilton in the fight for sixth. Russell is now 2.7sec behind Piastri and still within the five-second mark behind Verstappen. Leclerc is slipping back and is 6.2sec behind leader Verstappen.
06:22 PM BST
Lap 9 of 50 – Norris vs Hamilton
Hamilton marginally the faster man on the last lap.
06:21 PM BST
Lap 8 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 1.1sec
Decent pace really, but he does have the clean air. Piastri doesn’t really need to get too worried if he stays close enough, he can pass Verstappen in the stops without too much trouble. He knows he has that five-second advantage coming to him in the bank. And he can even extend that if the undercut is strong.
06:19 PM BST
Lap 7 of 50 – Norris gets Sainz for seventh
DRS assisted and into turn one.
Verstappen’s penalty would drop him back to fourth as it stands.
Top 10 and gaps:
- VER
- PIA +0.9
- RUS +3.2
- LEC +5.1
- ANT +5.8
- HAM +7.9
- NOR +9.4
- SAI +10.2
- ALB +11.3
- HAD +12.1
06:18 PM BST
Lap 6 of 50 – Verstappen with a good first sector
He gets himself out of DRS range but let’s see how Piastri responds. Takes a tenth back in the rest of the lap. Norris close to Sainz down the pit straight…
06:16 PM BST
Lap 5 of 50 – Verstappen leads Piastri by 1.06sec
Almost within DRS range. Norris in eighth. Hamilton in sixth and chasing Antonelli.
Verstappen has been told he has been given a five-second time penalty and is told to keep his head down.
“Yeah, that is f—— lovely,” he says on the radio.
Piastri now within DRS range as we get to the final sector…
Norris chasing down old team-mate Sainz for seventh.
06:14 PM BST
Lap 4 of 50 – Race restarts!
Verstappen goes early and Piastri is vulnerable to the Mercedes of Russell behind. But he sees off the threat at turn one.
🟢 Green flag 🟢
Verstappen leads the field away but he has just been handed a five-second penalty! 👀
Piastri fends off a challenge from Russell at the restart#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/UI5qmKxvIW
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Verstappen keeps the lead though has been given a five-second time penalty…
He will be trying to extend his lead out front to beyond that. Will he be able to? He has got a healthy lead after two sectors though I would imagine a lot of that came as he got on the gas early out of the final corner.
06:11 PM BST
Lap 3 of 50 – Safety Car in at the end of this lap
Stewards have noted the incident between Verstappen and Piastri. Piastri had the corner in my view and Verstappen just didn’t take the corner as you normally would, leaving it around the outside. He had no intention of taking that corner, though he says he was forced off. He is wrong in my view.
06:08 PM BST
Lap 2 of 50 – Top 10
- VER
- PIA
- RUS
- LEC
- ANT
- HAM
- SAI
- NOR
- ALB
- ALO
“He needs to give that back, I was ahead,” Piastri says on the radio. Tsunoda comes back into the pit lane. A few backmarkers stop for fresh tyres. Not sure Tsunoda is going to be able to carry on. It’s a long stop and the engine comes off. Too much damage, it seems.
06:07 PM BST
THE 2025 SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!
It’s a better start for Piastri who goes side-by-side into turn one with Verstappen for the lead! Verstappen runs off and keeps the lead and I think that will almost certainly be a five-second penalty unless he gives the place back. But I need to have another look to be sure. Verstappen did not back off and will almost certainly claim he was pushed off.
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO! 🚦
Verstappen runs off track but keeps the lead, while a safety car is deployed after a crash between Tsunoda and Gasly! pic.twitter.com/PmktlXg3s8
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) April 20, 2025
Further back Gasly and Tsunoda have collided, it seems and have gone backwards into the wall. Both men are out. Yellow flags which then swiftly becomes the Safety Car. Wait, Tsunoda is going again. Gasly is not. A bit of a racing incident between Gasly and Tsunoda I feel. Not that Gasly did anything wrong.
06:05 PM BST
They line up on the grid
Verstappen points slightly towards Piastri but also to the apex of turn one. Bortoleto takes his 20th grid slot and we are set to race…
06:02 PM BST
The formation lap begins under lights
The anticipation builds as the formation lap begins! 🤩
Max Verstappen leads the field away for the start… 👇#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/gQbjdohVIJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
Plenty of fresh shiny tyres out there. Medium to hard, one stop after 19 laps will be the optimum strategy according to tyre manufacturers Pirelli.
05:59 PM BST
Starting tyre types
Mediums for everyone apart from Norris in 10th, Hadjar in 14th, Stroll in 16th and Hulkenberg in 18th. Should be a one-stop race assuming no Safety Car, but then there probably will be one of those…
05:56 PM BST
Five minutes until the formation lap
Predictions? Here’s my top six.
- PIA
- RUS
- VER
- NOR
- LEC
- ANT
05:53 PM BST
Saudi GP: Starting grid
2. PIA 1. VER
4. LEC 3. RUS
6. SAI 5. ANT
8. TSU 7. HAM
10. NOR 9. GAS
12. LAW 11. ALB
14. HAD 13. ALO
16. STR 15. BEA
18. HUL 17. DOO
20. BOR 19. OCO
05:51 PM BST
Pole man Verstappen speaks to Sky Sports F1
“It’s a little bit warmer than yesterday again, I think it’s going to be a battle anyway whatever the temperature with [McLaren]. Hopefully we just find a bit more consistency and then on the hard tyre… I don’t know”
05:47 PM BST
Action stations on the Jeddah grid
20 minutes to go until the formation lap begins ⏰
The grid is getting busy! 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/7Gg1ZGNks4
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2025
I will have that final starting grid with you shortly, though it is largely as it was at the end of qualifying yesterday.
05:41 PM BST
Constructor standings
Plenty of opportunity for change in those teams behind McLaren today. Mercedes doing a decent job overall thanks to the solid and consistent work of George Russell. That is maybe doing him a slight disservice. He has been quick as well.
05:38 PM BST
Current driver standings
I would be surprised if Norris is leading this at the end of the day but far stranger things have happened in F1.
05:33 PM BST
How Norris’s qualifying ended
Certainly not what he wanted given the last week of scrutiny of his driving and mentality. A significant price to pay for his error. Not the easiest track to overtake on but the McLaren should be the car to beat today still. I wouldn’t rule out a podium by any means.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
Lando Norris crashes at start of Q3! He reports he is ok in the car. pic.twitter.com/DuiR9ABEPy
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
05:28 PM BST
Qualifying head-to-heads 2025
Some of these are close. Others less so. It’s good to see Sainz finding his feet in the Williams, though.
05:25 PM BST
The pit lane is open…
Heading out to the Grid 🙌 pic.twitter.com/648Q7ZyN9T
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 20, 2025
05:24 PM BST
Another tough qualifying for Hamilton
He now trails team-mate Charles Leclerc 4-2 in qualifying (no disaster), is on average 0.2sec slower on average (again, no disaster) but his average qualifying position is 1.6 places worse than the Monegasque. A big part of that is flattered by his sprint race pole, too. In the qualifying sessions since China (where he was ahead in both the sprint and main race) he has been 0.311sec, 0.597sec and 0.432sec slower than his team-mate. It doesn’t seem to suggest that he is getting on top of the SF-25.
05:17 PM BST
Five races and six qualifying sessions into 2025
It is, then, a good time to look at some statistics for how the teams and drivers stack up over one flying lap. First up is how the teams look in qualifying. This is essentially how fast each team is on average compared to the fastest overall qualifying lap of the weekend, expressed as a percentage.
For reference, over a 100-second (1min40sec) lap, a car one second slower than the fastest lap would be expressed as a 1.0 per cent difference.
05:13 PM BST
Watch: Verstappen’s pole lap
Onboard with the four-time and current world champion with his second pole position lap of the season.
How Max Vertsappen snatched pole by 0.010 seconds! 🤯😮 pic.twitter.com/DOnR7Jkj6S
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 19, 2025
Close to perfect. The slight slipstream from Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda down the pit straight probably proved decisive in the end.
05:04 PM BST
Times after qualifying
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1m 27.294s
- Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:27.304
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.407
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari HP 1:27.670
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:27.866
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Atlassian Williams 1:28.164
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari HP 1:28.201
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:28.204
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:28.367
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:27.481
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Atlassian Williams 1:28.109
- Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:28.191
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:28.303
- Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:28.418
- Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:28.648
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:28.645
- Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:28.739
- Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:28.782
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:29.092
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:29.462
04:49 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Qualifying yesterday repeated the pattern of the season so far. That is to say that McLaren looked utterly dominant coming into the session but then were pegged back significantly, with a three-way scrap for pole position. In the end they did not even claim pole, for the second time (third if you count the sprint) this year.
In the end it was Max Verstappen who pulled out another stunning lap to rival his Suzuka pole a fortnight ago. The margin over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was minuscule – just 0.010sec in the end. Mercedes’ George Russell was a little more than a tenth of a second further back in third.
Before qualifying it looked like it would be a straight shootout between Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris but the Briton put an end to any hopes of that by shoving his McLaren into the wall in the final corner in the first part of Q3. He starts today’s race from 10th and has a struggle on his hands to keep his championship lead.
Charles Leclerc got the most from his Ferrari to place fourth but he was nearly four tenths of a second away from Verstappen’s time. It’s not a huge margin but a) you would not expect them to be a fixture in the race and b) there are three other cars that are faster than them over one lap anyway. It is not a disaster by any means but sums up where Ferrari are at the moment: bottom of the leading pack. Lewis Hamilton was back in seventh but nearly one second off the pace.
The race begins in a little under an hour and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from Jeddah.
