Horner claims penalty cost Verstappen the win, Will Piastri take over as McLaren's new leader?, and other big updates

Horner claims penalty cost Verstappen the win

Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen would have won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix if not for a controversial five-second penalty following a first-corner incident with Oscar Piastri. The penalty allowed Piastri to secure his second consecutive victory, which Horner called overly harsh. Even with the loss, Horner praised Red Bull’s strong pace and remains hopeful, as Red Bull is only 12 points behind the championship leader.

Click here to read the full article by Michael Delaney (f1i.com)

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Will Piastri take over as McLaren's new leader?

Oscar Piastri has secured his second consecutive win in Formula 1 and became the championship leader for the first time, a position last held by Mark Webber in 2010. Lando Norris, on the other hand, has struggled, qualifying poorly in Bahrain and crashing in Jeddah, while Piastri maintained his composure and took control of the race. Piastri's impressive performance has led to speculation that he may now be McLaren's new team leader, as he outperforms Norris, especially in crucial moments like race starts. If Piastri continues this form, he could leave Norris behind and claim McLaren's first Drivers' Championship since Webber's 2010 challenge.

Click here to read the full article at motorsportweek.com

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Winners and losers from Saudi GP

Oscar Piastri won in Saudi Arabia, his third victory of the season, and moved into the lead of the F1 World Championship. Lewis Hamilton had a tough race, as he finished seventh without knowing why he was slow, while Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari their first podium of the year. Williams impressed with both cars in the top 10, while Yuki Tsunoda’s race ended early in a first-lap incident. Max Verstappen fought for the win and finished just 2.8s behind Piastri, but Mercedes, which George Russell led, dropped in race pace and finished a distant fifth.

Click here to read the full article by Lewis Larkam (crash.net)

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How F1’s most dangerous street circuit was built

Checo Perez once called it the most dangerous track on the F1 calendar — and honestly, he might have a point. But here’s the thing: when the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was first announced, it didn’t just raise eyebrows. The Saudi government was hit with accusations of sportwashing and faced heavy criticism. Yet, less than two years later, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was up and running. So, how did they pull it off? Who designed it, and what went into creating a street track?

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How Norris’ qualifying fell apart

Lando Norris crashed out of qualifying at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was on his first push lap during Q3 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but hit the wall and ended his qualifying session. Edd Straw and Scott Mitchell-Malm break down what led to the mistake, how McLaren and Norris responded, and the possible reasons behind it.