Maintaining a focus and equilibrium under pressure has always been one of the hallmarks of Formula One’s greatest proponents and Oscar Piastri is demonstrating it with striking assurance for one so young.
His victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beating the world championMax Verstappen, was an object lesson in the 24-year-old’s calm and confidence and his potential to take the title in only his third season.
Seven days agoat the Bahrain GP, Piastri had controlled the race from pole to flag with insouciant ease and while in Jeddah he had more to do, starting from second on the grid after Verstappen had taken an unexpected and brilliant pole, the Australian and his McLaren team kept their composure and once he had the lead, gained through the pit stops after Verstappen was given a five-second penalty, Piastri was once more untouchable.
For all that Verstappen and Red Bull had managed to find the right window for their car this weekend, a far cry from Bahrain, theMcLarenremains very much the class of the field in race pace and was notably easier on its tyres than its competitors.
Piastri and his team duly executed with perfection in what was something of a procession to secure the victory and one largely decided in the opening moments when Verstappen held his lead from the off but had to go off wide at turn two as Piastri went up the inside.
The McLaren driver believed he had been ahead and that Verstappen should give the place back; the world champion said he had not been given enough room and the incident was investigated by the stewards. Verstappen was adjudged to have been at fault and given a five-second penalty but he maintained his place at the front in clean air.
The Dutchman pushed hard but could not open a wide enough lead to cover the penalty and Piastri held his nerve and his cool to ease ahead through the pit stops, after which his pace and superior tyre wear paid off and he exercised iron control to take the flag by 2.8sec.
Charles Leclerc took Ferrari’s first podium in third, Lando Norris was fourth for McLaren in a strong comeback drive from 10th on the grid, and George Russell was fifth for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton could not match his Ferrari teammate, taking seventh.
For Piastri then, his third win this year was another strong statement of intent after dominant wins in Bahrain and China. Based on his performance on the high-speed challenge of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit which demands commitment for a quick lap, his confidence and equanimity in how the McLaren handles under him was once more clear and sits in stark contrast with his teammate Norris, who was considered the championship favourite.
Piastri wielded it in Jeddah with the same controlled aplomb as he has all season and it is paying off. He now leads the world championship for the first time in his short career, 10 points ahead of Norris with Verstappen in third, 12 points back.
Verstappen and Red Bull, however, will still consider this a strong result. In Bahrain Verstappen could manage only sixth place, his car a recalcitrant beast, lacking in almost every area and left floundering against the dominant McLaren and indeed Mercedes and Ferrari. He was wrestling with it through waves of frustration and ire, made clear to his team in no uncertain terms.
Yet the Red Bull was quick and handling well in Jeddah, another indication of how on any given weekend it can veer from fearsome to frightful, according to whether it finds an increasingly narrow operating window but this was nonetheless a strong performance from driver and team.
He and Red Bull were aggrieved at the penalty but might consider the better option would have been to have Verstappen hand the place back immediately rather than risk censure, although regardless he did not look to have the pace to deny Piastri across the race.
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Norris had crashed out in qualifying after an unforced error and drove well to comeback. This was better than he expected, having warned that he believed fifth or sixth might be the best he could manage.
On a counterstrategy of opening on the hard tyres Norris once again demonstrated he is far more comfortable with the McLaren in race pace rather in the very edge over a single lap in qualifying.
He chastised himself for his crash on Saturday and is more than well aware that given his issues with the car he can ill afford to make unforced errors. Norris is very self-critical as a driver and lacking confidence in the car will not be helping him so this decent run in Jeddah will help, but the British driver very much needs some clean and preferably victorious races to reassert himself.
Piastri, however, in Jeddah as he has repeatedly this season, made the task look seamless even while navigating the unforgiving circuit which punishes errors with finality. He barely put a foot wrong as once more he eased to victory.
There is little to no histrionics in his driving, no unnecessary drama but rather a smooth ease on that even keel holding him very much on course in the title fight.
Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon eighth and ninth for Williams and Isack Hadjar in 10th for Racing Bulls.