Piastri claims F1 title lead with Saudi win after costly Verstappen penalty

Oscar Piastri leads the Formula 1 world championship for the first time after winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen's hopes of victory were scuppered by a five-second penalty.

Front-row starters Verstappen and Piastri went wheel-to-wheel into the Jeddah street track's first corner but stewards soon issued the Red Bull driver with the costly time sanction after judging he had unfairly cut the chicane to stay ahead of the faster-starting McLaren driver.

And having stayed comfortably within that five-second margin behind Verstappen through the race's first stint, Piastri duly jumped ahead to lead when the world champion served the penalty at his sole pit stop.

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Piastri never relinquished his advantage over Verstappen thereafter and won by three seconds for his third win in five races this season and a maiden lead of the Drivers' Championship.

Pre-race championship leader Norris charged from 10th to fourth in the other McLaren on an alternative tyre strategy following his costly qualifying crash, but just fell short in his attempt to overhaul Charles Leclerc for third.

Leclerc, who had started fifth, drove his own fine race after a longer first stint to claim Ferrari's first podium finish in a grand prix this season.

Having run in the final podium berth for most of the race, late overtakes by Leclerc and Norris on fresher tyres saw Mercedes' George Russell relegated to fifth ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli in sixth.

Lewis Hamilton finished where he qualified in seventh after his weekend-long struggle for grip continued in the Ferrari.

Williams, meanwhile, scored a useful double top-10 result with Carlos Sainz capping a fine weekend to take eighth ahead of team-mate Alex Albon.

Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar took the final point in 10th.

The Safety Car, meanwhile, continued its 100 per cent appearance record since Jeddah joined the calendar in 2021 following a first-lap crash between Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine's Pierre Gasly, the result of which saw both drivers retire.

More to follow…

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