F1 standings leader Oscar Piastri matches milestone set by Sebastian Vettel’s former Red Bull teammate

In a thrilling race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Formula 1 has a new championship leader: McLaren’s rising star Oscar Piastri. With a remarkable performance against Max Verstappen, the Australian driver reached a major milestone once held by Sebastian Vettel’s former Red Bull teammate.

Throughout the race, Piastri remained on Verstappen’s tail, applying constant pressure on the reigning champion, who started from pole position. A bold move at the first corner helped set the tone for McLaren’s victory, which also included a strong fourth-place finish from Lando Norris, who impressively climbed up from 10th on the grid.

With this result, Piastri not only took over the top spot in the F1 standings after the Saudi GP, but also became the first Australian to lead the championship since Mark Webber in 2010. Three wins in the season’s first five races have propelled the 23-year-old into the spotlight as a serious title contender.

Piastri has now matched teammate Norris in total career victories, despite competing in 82 fewer Grands Prix. The success of both drivers highlights just how formidable McLaren has become this season, and why the duo could pose a major threat throughout the rest of the calendar.

Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren in the Drivers Press Conference during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 20, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Other milestones reached in Jeddah

In addition to Oscar Piastri’s impressive win, Max Verstappen also hit a major career milestone with his second-place finish in Sunday’s race. The result in Jeddah pushed Verstappen past Vettel to become the second-highest points scorer in Formula 1 history.

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Red Bull‘s star now has 3,110.5 career points, edging out Vettel by 1.5 points. However, the all-time leader remains Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who still sits atop the leaderboard for most career points.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also joined the list of record-setters in Jeddah. With his third-place finish, the Monegasque driver matched Fernando Alonso’s mark of 44 podiums during his time with Ferrari. Leclerc has emerged as the team’s most consistent performer this season, especially with Hamilton struggling to find form in 2025.

Norris reflects on Piastri’s victory

After Piastri’s standout performance, teammate Lando Norris offered a candid take on the team’s current position. While he praised the collective effort, he emphasized that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

“People keep saying that we’re the best, we’re the quickest, blah blah blah, but it’s just because we show a bit more pace in practice,” Norris said. “We don’t have anything left when it gets to qualifying, but that’s our way of doing things. That’s how we feel we optimize things. If we didn’t do it that way, we’d be even further back.”