McLaren’s Australian with this victory is the new world leader. Hamilton disappointment, only seventh. Charles gives Ferrari the first seasonal podium in the long race
Formula 1 has a new leader of the World Cup. Oscar Plastri, the McLaren ice boy, with the victory of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix passes his teammate Lando Norris and conquers the first place in the championship ranking. For him in Gedda the third victory of the season, followed on the podium of the Quinto GP of 2025 by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc who conquers the first podium for the Ferrari team from the street of the season. A Grand Prix dominated by the struggle for the first three positions, with an initial safety car – unleashed by the accident between Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly on the first lap – which confirms Gedda’s statistics: in the five editions played by the GP in Saudi Arabia the presence of Safety Car in the race is one hundred percent.
Fight for victory
–
Max Verstappen, who started from the pole position in the Arab night, closed the GP in second position after an aggressive start on Oscar Piastri who cost him five seconds of penalty: in fact, on the first lap, the Dutchman, who started worse than the opponent, tried to resist the attack of platelets outside Curva 1, cutting the first chicane to maintain the position. A maneuver, not new to Verstappen, deemed incorrect by the commissioners, and turned into five seconds of penalty during the pit-stop carried out on the 22nd lap. Once returned to the track Max was unable to recover on Plastri, who with clean air kept the leadership of the race up to the checkered flag.
Leclerc’s magic
–
Third place for a magical Charles Leclerc who, from the fourth starting position, managed to build a solid race until he conquered the podium, in front of George Russell’s Mercedes. The Monegasque managed to perfectly manage the medium tires in the first Stint of the race, lengthening it up to the 30th round, and then managing an important advantage of rubber life in the last 20 laps, exceeding Russell track on the 37th round, which turned with tires older than nine returns. In fact, Leclerc’s great performance was also seen in the second Stint with white rubber, when the Rossa pilot managed not only to pass the Mercedes on the track but also to resist the attacks of the McLaren of Lando Norris, who closed the race in fourth place – recovering from the tenth position after yesterday’s accident in qualifying – to a second detachment from Monegasco. Less impressive on the Sunday of Lewis Hamilton, seventh on the finish line behind the two Mercedes by Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The seven times world champion was the protagonist of a good battle with Norris lasted two laps, from the 13th to the 15th, where Hamilton replied as a true champion to the British attacks, however having to give in to the superiority of McLaren.
The debutants
–
Great test of maturity for the rookie engaged in this season of Formula 1 that in Gedda, a very high intensity city track in which every error is paid dearly, have given excellent performance: sixth placed in the checkered flag for the eighteen -year -old Italian Kimi Antonelli, behind the teammate and still in points in this start of the season. Tenth position for Isack Hadjar, who closed the GP in front of teammate Liam Lawson, 11th. Oliver Bearman, who had made his debut with Ferrari in Gedda to replace Carlos Sainz, closed in front of the most experienced teammate, in 13th position against Ocon’s 14th. Last, however, Jack Doohan, 17th, and Gabriel Bortoleto, 18th, with the Brazilian who came almost to the contact in the race with the manager and mentor Fernando Alonso. Now the appointment is postponed to Miami where, in two weeks, the sixth appointment of the championship will be staged and leading the ranking, for the first time in his career, there will be the 24 -year -old Australian Oscar Piastri.
© RESERVED REPRODUCTION