The fifth Grand Prix to take place on the shores of the Red Sea was packed with drama and tension, keeping fans on the edge of their seats throughout the 50-lap spectacle. Piastri became the fourth different winner in the event’s history — and handed McLaren their first-ever podium finish in Jeddah.

Starting from the front row, Piastri made a great start off the line and executed a decisive move into Turn 1. Pole-sitter Max Verstappen ran wide while defending, cutting across the apex and keeping the lead — but was later handed a five-second time penalty by the stewards for gaining an advantage off-track.

“Once I got on the inside, I wasn’t coming out of Turn 1 in second,” said a delighted Piastri after the race. “I tried my best — obviously the stewards had to get involved — but I thought I was plenty far enough up, and in the end, that’s what won me the race.”

There was more drama on the opening lap when the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda clashed. Gasly was pitched into a spin and he crashed into the barriers, which led to the deployment of the Safety Car for three laps while the debris was cleared off the track. Both Tsunoda and Gasly were the only two retirements of the race.

Lando Norris, after hitting the wall in Qualifying, opted for a different strategy by starting in tenth place on the harder compound tyres. Despite the hot temperatures, the race evolved into a one-stop affair due to low degradation, and Norris ran long before eventually pitting on lap 34. His alternate strategy brought him into contention and even saw him lead the way when the front-runners stopped.

During the early stages, Norris engaged in a fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton, with multiple exchanges between the two British drivers — a standout moment coming as Norris overtook the seven-time champion into the final corner, only for Hamilton to repass him at Turn 1. Eventually, Norris made the move stick as part of his recovery drive.

Up front, once Verstappen served his five-second penalty during his pit stop, Piastri took full control and led comfortably once his team-mate Norris came into the pits for his mandatory tyre stop. Although Verstappen closed the gap towards the end, Piastri never looked under threat and took a composed victory under the Jeddah lights.

Behind them, George Russell was running third in his Mercedes, but he had to contend with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Russell pitted on lap 20, but the Ferrari man decided to extend the stint on his medium tyres and didn’t stop for another ten laps. When he emerged from his pits, he was a few seconds behind the Mercedes, but with fresher rubber, Leclerc started to reel him in.

The final podium position — his first of 2025 — was secured when Leclerc passed Russell into Turn 1 on lap 38. The strategy benefitted the Ferrari man and he repeated his feat of finishing third here last year. Norris closed in on the scarlet machine in the final stages, but he had to settle for fourth. Behind him George Russell finished ahead of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, with the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton seventh, ahead of the two Williams. Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bulls car rounded out the top ten.

Away from the Formula 1 action, Sunday also hosted excitement in the support races. Firstly, Richard Verschoor took a dramatic win in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race, executing a bold last-lap overtake on American Jak Crawford to seal a thrilling victory, while Frenchman Victor Martins completed the podium in third.

In the F1 ACADEMY race, Ferrari’s Maya Weug claimed her first win of the season after a dramatic contest with Chloe Chambers, who initially led from pole. Despite briefly regaining the lead, Chambers was penalised for forcing Weug off-track and ultimately finished second — just one tenth ahead of Doriane Pin in third. Wild card entrant Farah AlYousef completed her debut weekend with an 18th-place finish.

The action on track was matched by the entertainment off it. In the Fan Zone, fans were treated to live sets from A-list performers including global icon Jennifer Lopez, who wowed the crowd on Saturday night, and R&B legend Usher, who closed out the weekend in style with a high-energy performance after the race.

A spectacular fireworks display and drone show also lit up the Jeddah sky, bringing the curtain down on another memorable edition of the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX.