Another phenomenal performance from Piastri saw him convert his P2 start into a victory — his 5th career win and his 3rd win this season. This result boosts his position in the Driver’s Championship and establishes him as a contender for the title.
Piastri On Top
Starting from P2, Oscar remained calm and collected as he pushed the McLaren past the likes of Max Verstappen and teammate Lando Norris.
When asked about his launch at the start of the race and the side by side racing with Verstappen, he responded:
“Yeah, once I got on the inside, I wasn’t coming out of turn one in second, so I tried my best”
“Obviously the stewards had to get involved, but, you know, I thought I was plenty far enough up and yeah, in the end, that’s what got me the race”
“I’m very happy with all the word we’ve been doing in starts, and yeah, that’s what won us the race today.”
He explained that although the race itself was tough, especially physically, due to the humidity and warmth, he was very pleased with the results.
“It’s always a tough race, it’s more humid and more warmer”
Piastri now leads the Driver’s Championship, 10 points ahead of teammate Lando Norris, and becomes the first Australian driver to lead the championship standings in 15 years, with the last being his manager, Mark Webber.
Salt in the Wound
Verstappen attended the race, positive after Saturday’s qualifying session, which saw him clinch pole for the second time this season. After the five lights went out, drama errupted as the McLaren and RedBull raced wheel-to-wheel, resulting in Verstappen cutting the apex and receiving a 5 second time penalty.
Following the final result, P2, Verstappen faced the cameras with not much to respond with.
“Yeah, I’m gonna keep it quite short. I just want to say a big thank you to the fans here in Jeddah, it’s been a great weekend.”
“I love the track, and uh, yeah, the rest is what it is”
“I’m looking forward to Miami, so I’ll see you there.”
Verstappen has been fined many times for language choice in previous interviews, hence why he has decided not to react with much.
Ferrari’s First Podium of the Season
Charles Leclerc did the honours of bringing Ferrari their first podium finish of the season. Starting from P4, behind George Russell, Leclerc pushed the Ferrari to its limit and grabbed P3.
“I’m extremely happy about the lap from yesterday, very proud of what we’ve done”
He stated how he “did not expect to finish on the podium”, highlighting a results that exceeded his pwn expectations.
Talking about what Ferrari can do next to keep this podium streak up, Leclerc mentioned,
“We need to keep pushing”,
and then proceeded to add,
“Hopefully, upgrades are coming soon”
Photo Credit: RedBull Content Pool