Oscar Piastri delivers statement as Max Verstappen tastes crucial defeat – Saudi Arabian GP Winners and Losers

Oscar Piastri took the fight to Max Verstappen and came out victorious in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, claiming the race win and the lead of the F1 drivers' title. 

Piastri led the second-half of the race after Verstappen served a five-second time penalty, following an opening corner clash with the McLaren driver. 

Verstappen demonstrated good pace to finish in second, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third. Lando Norris recovered to fourth after starting in 10th.

So, who has made the RacingNews365 list of winners and losers for the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Winner - Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri delivered a major statement en-route to victory at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, that he can fight Verstappen at his own game. 

The Australian driver positioned his car perfectly at the first corner, with Verstappen having bailed out and cut the chicane. He maintained the lead, resulting in the time penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage. 

Whilst Piastri's third win of the season was impressive, it was how he took the fight to Verstappen which has seen him make this category. 

In what was their first time duelling for the lead, Piastri coming out on top is a huge message for Verstappen that there is a driver after all who can battle him and win.

Loser - Max Verstappen

For losing the fight to Piastri, Max Verstappen makes the 'loser' category despite a strong drive to finish second. 

The reigning world champion threw away victory in Saudi Arabia, having had strong enough pace to win if it was not for his time penalty. 

Verstappen not winning a head-to-head scrap is not a common occurrence, hence the significance of it. 

With a fifth consecutive F1 drivers' title very much possible, Verstappen must assess how to fight Piastri in the future, given he is clearly up for the challenge. 

Winner - Charles Leclerc

Finally, Charles Leclerc had a moment of satisfaction this season after claiming his first rostrum of the year. 

It has been a difficult campaign so far for Leclerc, who has excelled in what is currently an underwhelming Ferrari package. 

He has outlined his dissastifaction with the car and has called for further improvements, but is still delivering positive results for the Maranello-based team. 

With the exception of the China sprint, he has dominated over Lewis Hamilton and was six-tenths quicker than the Briton in Jeddah qualifying.

Loser - Lando Norris

Lando Norris entered the Saudi Arabian GP insisting that he needed a "reset", he now needs another before F1 returns in Miami. 

He looked strong throughout practice and was the favourite for pole ahead of qualifying, before his latest mistake saw the Briton crash in Q3. 

That immediately ended his hopes of victory, with Norris having recovered from 10th to fourth in what was a fast-paced race. 

Norris has lost the championship lead and now faces a 10-point deficit, although his priority must be ending his regular errors.

Winner - Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz is steadily finding his place at Williams, with his Saudi Arabia performance highlighting that he is becoming settled with the car. 

Qualifying in sixth and finishing in eighth, ahead of Alex Albon, was an impressive display by Sainz. To add to his result, he qualified ahead of Hamilton for the second consecutive grand prix. 

Williams' package is good enough to regularly appear in Q3 and score points, although it is adrift of the top four teams. 

Nevertheless, Sainz is making positive steps at last with the Grove-based outfit, following a difficult start to life with the team.

Loser - Lewis Hamilton

It was another weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton, who continues to look uncomfortable in the SF-25. 

His pace has vanished since converting sprint pole into sprint victory back in China, with him being consistently slower than Leclerc. 

Fred Vasseur has insisted that he is fully behind the seven-time world champion, who did at least demonstrate some strong race craft. 

Hamilton has painted a dejected figure in the media pen and with five rounds already complete, he is in desperate need of some good results.