Raceday Recap: Bringing the Heat in Jeddah
The last of the triple header was a fun one, as things spiced up for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Some teams’ strategies didn’t go as planned while other teams exceeded expectations (I’m talking to you, Ferrari.) Overall, the race was entertaining and exciting to watch from the very first moment on track, and I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. Let’s relive this race together and review each moment that made it so special!
Max Verstappen started the weekend strong with a pole position in qualifying and a fastest lap track record of 1.27.472. Oscar Piastri completed the front row with consistent forerunner George Russell behind in 3rd. Charles Leclerc put up an amazing lap to qualify P4, with Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli in 5th. Carlos Sainz brought joy to every Williams fan’s heart after starting the race from P6, as Lewis Hamilton trailed in 7th. Max’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda started from a strong P8, followed by Pierre Gasly in P9 and Lando Norris in P10 after a crash in the Q3 session. This qualifying also marked the record number of consecutive Q1 eliminations by none other than Lance Stroll - embarrassing!
MV1 the MVP celebrating after clutching pole position in Jeddah. Photo courtesy of RacingNews365.
The red lights went off and immediately the action started: Tsunoda and Gasly spun out together in turn 12, a crazy crash in lap one that continued the streak of the Saudi Arabian safety car curse (there just has to be one every year!!) There was also the first controversy of the race as Piastri seemed to push Max off of the track limits in order to overtake. However, Max stayed in front even after going over the curb and Piastri demanded that Verstappen give the position back. Max believed that he did nothing wrong and that Piastri didn’t leave the space for him to pass on track, but the stewards ruled against him and gave him a 5 second penalty, to be served at his first pit stop. Piastri took the lead of the race back eventually, which is most of the reason that he inevitably won.
The other main conflict during the race was the overtake battle between Lewis and Lando in the final 15 laps of the race. After Norris’s disastrous P10 grid start, he worked his way up to the front and eventually reached Hamilton’s position on the track. In a moment of tension and anticipation, Norris passed Hamilton in the DRS zone. Hamilton then caught up with DRS himself and regained the position. Then, Norris waited a few laps and again passed Hamilton, who in return took the position back again. While Hamilton used this situation to show his defensive skill and hold Norris back, Norris wasted many laps and this loss of time and failure to pass Hamilton caused him to lose his spot on the podium. Only in the final 10 laps did he overtake Hamilton, as well as Antonelli and Russell, to finish P4 overall (behind Hamilton’s teammate). After the race, McLaren announced that they were proud of Norris’s tough race, but Lando himself seemed disappointed in his performance overall. However, he did set a new fastest lap record on the Saudi Arabian track during the race (1.31.778), so that’s something to be proud of.
Lando looking discouraged after discussing the tension in the midfield in Saudi Arabia. Photo courtesy of PlanetF1.
While papaya fans may have had conflicted feelings about the results, Ferrari tifosi and Williams fans certainly felt only positive emotions: Ferrari was on the podium for the first time in 2025 and both Williams drivers finished in the points! Charles Leclerc was one of the heroes of the day after he finished an amazing P3, and with Albon and Sainz in 8th and 9th, it was a celebratory occasion for all. Max Verstappen ended up in 2nd behind Piastri, which definitely hurt his pride but still counted for a great many points in the Driver’s Championship. Russell and Antonelli had less of a performative drive than usual, finishing a relaxed P5 and P6. Hamilton crossed the line in 7th, and rookie Isack Hadjar scored some points for RB in 10th. Noticeably, neither of the Haas drivers finished in the top 10, a surprising result considering their recent success. Overall though, the underdogs of Ferrari stepped it up in Jeddah and McLaren continues to dominate (to everyone’s expectations, of course.)
With Oscar Piastri as the new championship leader, the race in Jeddah was the perfect end before this week’s break from raceday. Hope you enjoyed watching and reading as much as I did, and as always, thank you so much.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
