A brilliant opening manoeuvre from Oscar Piastri has won him the Saudi Arabian grand prix and the lead in the Formula One drivers’ championship.
It is the first time an Australian has led the drivers’ championship for 15 years, following his manager Mark Webber in 2010.
At turn one Piastri nipped inside Max Verstappen, who had begun the race on pole, resulting in the Dutchman driving off the road to reclaim the lead. He was subsequently given a five-second penalty enabling Piastri to regain the lead when the Red Bull rider pitted, and hold onto it all the way to the chequered flag.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir last week.Credit: nnaSmarsh
Verstappen was 2.843 seconds behind with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc making up the podium. Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who began in tenth after crashing in qualifying, came fourth. Australian rookie Jack Doohan finished 17th in his Alpine with 18 finishing.
After winning in Bahrain last week the 24-year-old Piastri is the first back-to-back winner this season and the new favourite for the title.
It is early days with only five races run, but after a disappointing ninth in the opening race in Melbourne Piastri is the form driver having won in Shanghai, Bahrain and Jeddah, and finished third in Suzuka.
“Great race, we did the parts we needed to do right,” Piastri said.
“It was a pretty tough race, one of the toughest in my career, he added after 50 laps in 30 degree temperatures around a super-fast track.”
Every previous race this season, including China’s sprint, had been won from pole but Piastri made an early bid to change that as he got a great launch off the line and moved to the inside of Verstappen.
