Saudi GP winners and losers in 2025 F1

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo of: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Easy as you wish? Well, no. Not only was the breed of Jeddah a sudden sprint of 50 laps, but the wear of the lower tires that expected also seemed to prevent McLaren from bending his muscle. This meant that Piastri had to work harder for his third victory in the campaign than in China and Bahrain, especially after having had to leave Pole at Max Verstappen – who probably also deserves the entrance to a winner.

But the Australian can also do it when things are more difficult for McLaren, being generally cool as a cucumber in a wheel battle with Verstappen at the start, hang in the dirty air of Red Bull, then control the race by the front. Simply impeccable, and he also took an early championship lead. The man to beat?

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo of: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

This one needs a little nuance. Norris paid a high price for another disappointing Saturday, his accident in Q3 leaving him 10th on the grid. It was particularly regrettable because, in balance, Norris seemed just as fast as Piastri – if not a little faster. But because he felt more comfortable in the McLaren, he did not seem to be pessimistic when he told us about it as he did in Bahrain, and it was also shown on Sunday.

Norris’s race was good, really good, using the alternative strategy starting on the hard tire to make your way in front of Hamilton and recover to finish within nine seconds of Piastri in fourth position. This is only a case of what could have been, especially because the Briton has now sent precious points to his teammate, who heads the 10 -point championship.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo of: Lars Baron

Leclerc has reduced a really frustrated figure lately, because it has only produced the goods to be disappointed with its Ferrari, which has so far been up to the early promise. On Saturday was another example, qualifying a fourth solid while sending almost four tenths to first row runners.

In one way or another, things clicked on Sunday evening in Jeddah. Leclerc was initially stuck in the dirty air of George Russell, but then built an advantage of the tires on the British with a very long passage on its medium tires. It made much easier to pass the Mercedes and drop it like a stone on the second pass, in automotive to finish only eight seconds from Piastri to mark a podium. The question is now to know how the Scuderia will reproduce this in different circuits, temperatures and composed of tires, while making its car faster on a tower. There is also another problem to be solved, that we will arrive shortly …

Loser: Mercedes

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo of: Peter Fox – Getty Images

If Ferrari may have to understand why his stars aligned in Saudi Arabia – at least for Leclerc – then Mercedes will also wonder what Devil has happened at his racing pace. Russell was extremely well qualified in third and looked at the closest challenger to Piastri and Verstappen, but instead, neither he nor his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli found no pace on one or the other tire complex, Russell soon signaling high clothes that left him more than half a drift-drift.

A silver lining was the real results of the team; Fifth for Russell and sixth for Antonelli, who resisted a very difficult race. Given Mercedes’ distance on Sunday, it could have been worse. Mercedes wanted to emphasize that she has already doubled her count of points compared to this time 12 months ago, and that’s right.

Jack Doohan, Alpine, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo of: Lars Baron

Sainz received criticism early – and probably largely unfair – to have to take your time to adapt to the DNA of the Williams car, but during its fifth weekend of racing for the team, the Spaniard took another small step forward. Will he never gelify 100% with this year’s car? Perhaps not, but it could also be due to its inherent limits, which will not be fully fixed and which teammate Alex Albon must also drive (but is more used).

Nevertheless, Sainz was a good value for money for his eighth place, and he also helped the team by providing a DRS tug in Albon behind him. This allowed the Thai driver to retain the recruit of Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar, who was on faster average tires at the end. The boss of the team, James Vowles, landed on Albon-Sainz twinning for their ability to work together, and has so far been proven.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

Photo of: Lars Baron

A valiant Sauber team did everything she could on Sunday, opposing both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto during the Tour 2 safety car period to put them on hard tires, ready to jump on a later safety car or simply go to the end. It turned out to be the last, a difficult demand for which the two drivers deserve a huge credit.

But few strategies in the world can compensate for the slower car, and this is the reality that has been flowing for some time now, with CEO Mattia Binotto and the director of the incoming team Jonathan Wheatley having a huge challenge on their hands to whisk the Squad in shape before Audi officially indicates in 2026. Upgrades are a work in progress, but they do not arrive at Miami. Until then, Hulkenberg and the Bortoleto recruit are in survival mode.

Winner: Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar, racing bulls

Photo of: Peter Fox – Getty Images

This is not Hadjar’s first entry into this section, and on Sunday proof it will not be the last of French. The “ninja” – this is its nickname – shine the alternative strategy difficult to ensure, following the average runners and then loading in the second half of the race.

What is admirable in Hadjar is his self -criticism and his driving for perfection, not taking too much pleasure to finish 10th if the eighth or the ninth was on the table. But even the 20-year-old had to admit his performance to Jeddah justified the kiss of a chef, and there was not much that he could do about the perfect team game of Sainz and Albon to defend against his DRS attacks. Hadjar develops rather well and – contrary to what seems to be a popular belief – his teammate Liam Lawson also settles well after his Red Bull disaster while the pair begins to push itself stronger.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo of: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

We have spoken to a lot of iterations by Somber Lewis Hamilton in recent years since the start of the era of the soil effects. Saudi Arabia felt like a new hollow, with the seven times world champion by lacking answers on the question of why it is not standing on Ferrari.

The SF-25 has a reasonable potential, which Leclerc managed to access Djeddah, but things do not click for Hamilton in the qualification or race. When asked after qualifying what he needed, Hamilton replied: “A brain transplant”.

The honeymoon period in Ferrari has been over for some time, but the victory of the pole sprint on Hamilton flag in China seems to be eons. It is not a nice view to see him fight so much.