It was all about manning up in the first corner of the Saudi Grand Prix. Who dares wins! Pole wasn’t much of an advantage here as the second grid slot had a direct run to the racing line. The 24-year-old Australian millennial must’ve visualised his start all through Saturday night after losing out to the Red Bull champion in the qualifying shootout.
His reaction time to the red lights was quicker than Verstappen and he crucially held on to his MCL39 through the first sequence whilst the Dutchman ran wide and re-joined in the lead! Verstappen was penalised by Race Control for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, something he’s been punished for on quite a few occasions. Understandably he wasn’t happy. It’s very rare that anybody beats Max from P2.
Piastri is on an upward and onward stage of his young F1 career. What’s remarkable about him is he doesn’t seem to get flustered easily. With a flawless demonstration of raw pace and race craft through the high-speed streets of Jeddah, he has now won three out of the opening five races of 2025. And with that, he has taken over the lead of the World Drivers Championship, for the first time ever! His team mate Lando Norris must be worried as the momentum is clearly with the Aussie.
Norris is the team favourite at McLaren simply because he’s been with them since 2019! The British Team are famed for providing their drivers with equal machinery for a fair shot at the title. This has led to legendary showdowns amongst the big names of Formula One. Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have all had their share of intra-team battles to come out on top at McLaren. Can Norris and Piastri go on to become the next great rivalry for the team from Woking?
Piastri has equalled the number of victories Norris has in his entire career. He could gradually take over as the team’s preferred driver if he continues his current form and rhythm of finishing on the podium almost always. The Miami Grand Prix in USA is up next. It’s the scene of Norris’ maiden grand prix triumph last season. Expect the Englishman to dig deep, and snatch back the momentum from the Aussie.
Round 6 | Miami | Monday, 5th May 01:30am | F1TV & FanCode App