Oscar stars, Max keeps mum, Sainz alive – Saudi GP talking points

Oscar Piastri left Jeddah the new world championship leader after another statement win in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The man from Melbourne displayed plenty of steel beneath that calm and composed exterior to take the fight to pole sitter Max Verstappen at the first turn, reports AFP.

Verstappen’s five second penalty for gaining an advantage when going off the track in that pivotal moment with the race only seconds old contributed to Piastri’s third win from five races this year.

But he still had to use all his guile and grit to hold off the Red Bull ace to the line, with Charles Leclerc securing Ferrari’s first podium of the season in third.

Here AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the fifth round of the 24-race season:
Aussie rules

Piastri is now the bookmakers’ new favourite to deny Verstappen a record-equalling fifth consecutive drivers’ title and one man who has played a huge role in the 24-year-old’s progress is his manager, Mark Webber.

Fittingly Piastri became the first Aussie to lead the championship since Webber 15 years ago.

Webber’s wise counsel is helping Piastri navigate the intense pressure that comes with the territory for a driver now considered champion-in-waiting material.

“As we know, you can have the machinery but it’s often not easy to convert those opportunities,” said the 48-year-old, who won nine grand prix.

Webber pointed to Piastri’s improvement in qualifying, with two poles and a front row in Jeddah so far this term.

In contrast the far more emotional Lando Norris, the team’s de facto number one driver last season, appears to be letting mistakes creep into his game, witness his crash on a flying lap in Saturday’s qualifying which landed him on the fifth row of the grid.

Respected former racer turned TV pundit Martin Brundle suggested Piastri’s self-assuredness was an “ominous” sign for Norris should, as most expect, the 2025 title battle be fought out between the two drivers at opposite sides of the McLaren garage.

Max bites his tongue

Verstappen and Red Bull left the Red Sea port with mixed emotions. Whilst relieved to have had the pace to win they were clearly upset at his five-second penalty.

“Arguably without that penalty we would have won today,” suggested team principal Christian Horner.

“We believed Max was clearly ahead on the first lap and it was a very harsh decision but at that point it was best to concede, serve the penalty, get your head down and keep going.”

Verstappen refused to be drawn on the incident despite repeated opportunities to do so in the aftermath of the race.

“The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised also, so it’s better not to speak about it,” he said.

“I think it’s better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble, he added, going on to blame “social media in general, and how the world is.

“So less talking — even better for me.”

Team player Sainz

A strong weekend for Williams was rewarded with both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon finishing in the points.

Like Hamilton, the man he replaced at Ferrari Sainz has taken time to acclimatise at his new employers.

The Spaniard finished a season-best eighth, but in a great example of teamwork he reduced his pace in the closing stages to give Albon the benefit of DRS (drag reduction system) to help the London-born Thai fend off RB’s Isack Hadjar chasing him.

“It was a scenario we had prepared for ahead of the race, and we worked well together to make it happen” explained Albon.

Sainz conceded the master stroke “wasn’t easy”.

“The slightest of mistakes can be very costly. However, we managed it perfectly and secured an important double points finish for the team.

“I’m very happy after putting together a good weekend and I can’t wait for Miami!”