Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P2): 9/10
Once again, Verstappen turned up the wick in qualifying after complaining in practice. He looked supremely confident behind the wheel of his RB21, securing pole position and setting a new lap record with a 1:27.294. The Dutchman may have had a chance at victory on Sunday, but a poor getaway allowed Piastri to pull alongside and marginally get ahead in the run up to the first corner. Verstappen cut the very next corner to retain P1, which was deemed illegal by the race stewards who subsequently handed a five second penalty to the defending Champion. He served this on his pitstop on lap 21 and came out behind Piastri as a result. The rest of the race saw Verstappen keep close tabs with Piastri, remaining between three and five second behind the McLaren right to the chequered flag. It was a race of “what if?” for the four-time World Champion.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P1): 10/10
Piastri was disappointed to not claim pole position on Saturday, but turned the disappointment into determination as he capped off a brilliant triple header in style with victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The opening lap incident with Verstappen was a contentious one, but Piastri was slightly ahead at the Turn 1 apex and was therefore entitled to the corner according to the race stewards. McLaren didn’t seem as dominant as they had been in previous Grands Prix, but Piastri kept his cool and turned up the heat when it mattered, such as his beautiful overtake on Hamilton at Turn 22 on lap 21, to get ahead and stay ahead of Verstappen after the pitstop phase. He didn’t look back from that point onwards. As we said last week, Paistri’s calmness behind the wheel is a hallmark of a future Drivers’ Champion.
