Oscar Piastri celebrates his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix victory. Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP
Kiwi Liam Lawson has matched his best result of the 2025 Formula 1 season so far, as Aussie Oscar Piastri won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to lead the world championship for the first time in his career.
Defending champion and polesitter Max Verstappen finished second, while Charles Leclerc's Ferrari completed the podium for this fifth round of the season, under the floodlights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Lawson qualified 12th on the grid and finished 12th, two places outside the championship points.
Piastri's third win this year was in large part decided at the first turn, when Verstappen went off the track and picked up a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage.
He becomes the first Australian to lead the drivers' standings since his agent, Mark Webber, 15 years ago.
"Very happy to have won, made the difference at the start, great race," he said, after crossing the line 2.843 seconds clear of the four-time world champion.
"Max was still a bit too close for my liking!"
McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who went into the weekend atop the standings, took fourth, ahead of the two Mercedes of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Lawson crossed the finish-line 11th, but was relegated a spot with a 10-second penalty for also leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
That put him two spots behind Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar, but he had the satisfaction of beating Japanese Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson in the Red Bull car last month.
"I didn't have a great start and then just wrong place on the first lap, when everything happened and I went off track," Lawson said. "It's a shame, as I think the car was pretty quick.
"We just spent the whole race in traffic again, no matter what we did, so it's a shame.
"This weekend's been the most comfortable I've been in the car - I just want some points. I think we're doing all the right things, it just needs to come together."
Tsunoda failed to finish, after colliding with Frenchman Pierce Gasly on the first lap.
Lawson also finished 12th at the Chinese Grand Prix, crossing 16th, but was promoted, when other drivers were penalised. Tsunoda replaced him for the next race at Suzuka.
- AFP
