F1 Saudi Arabian GP - Race Center Live show

2025 Saudi Arabian GP live updates 

Hello everyone, and welcome to our live feed for today's grand prix in Jeddah.

With Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri on the front row, while championship leader Lando Norris is down in 10th, today should be an action-packed race! 

Qualifying recap

Verstappen took a surprise pole in the streets of Jeddah, as Red Bull pulled off a strategic masterclass after the Q3 red flag caused by Norris' crash.

Red Bull made its world champion do two push laps, while others did just one and Verstappen pipped Piastri by 0.010s! 

Saudi Arabian GP grid

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

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Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Time	Tyres	km/h
1	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	1'27.294		254.615
2	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.010 1'27.304		254.586
3	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.113 1'27.407		254.286
4	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.376 1'27.670		253.523
5	A. Antonelli Mercedes	12		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.572 1'27.866		252.957
6	C. Sainz Williams	55		Williams	Mercedes	+0.870 1'28.164		252.102
7	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.907 1'28.201		251.997
8	Y. Tsunoda Red Bull Racing	22		Red Bull	Red Bull	+0.910 1'28.204		251.988
9	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	+1.073 1'28.367		251.523
10	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes
11	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	+0.815 1'28.109		252.260
12	L. Lawson RB	30		RB	Honda	+0.897 1'28.191		252.025
13	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+1.009 1'28.303		251.706
14	I. Hadjar RB	6		RB	Honda	+1.124 1'28.418		251.378
15	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87		Haas	Ferrari	+1.354 1'28.648		250.726
16	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+1.351 1'28.645		250.734
17	J. Doohan Alpine	7		Alpine	Renault	+1.445 1'28.739		250.469
18	N. Hulkenberg Sauber	27		Sauber	Ferrari	+1.488 1'28.782		250.348
19	E. Ocon Haas F1 Team	31		Haas	Ferrari	+1.798 1'29.092		249.476
20	G. Bortoleto Sauber	5		Sauber	Ferrari	+2.168 1'29.462		248.445
View full results

Strategy

Lights out is in approximately 15 minutes, so what are today's likely strategies?

Tyre information

Most of the grid will start on the medium rubber, yet four drivers are going for hards including Norris! 

Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll are the others on the hard compound. 

Championship standings

Norris leads the championship by three points ahead of Piastri, while third-placed Verstappen is eight points off top.

Will that order change come the chequered flag? 

Tsunoda and Gasly both returned to the pitlane after the incident and have retired from the grand prix. 

The struggles of that second Red Bull car continues...

Race control has noted the incident between Piastri and Verstappen.

The McLaren driver got the faster start and was on the inside, causing Verstappen to go off so that a collision did not happen. 

There is debate over whose corner it was. 

Lap 6

"Well, that is **** lovely" was Verstappen's response when being informed of the penalty.

He currently leads by 1.2s ahead of Piastri. 

Lap 7

It's been a solid start for Norris, who is up to seventh on the hard tyre from 10th. 

He's clearly working well on the white rubber while others are on mediums, so a visit to the podium could be on for the championship leader.

Lap 11

The on-track battles are few and far between at the moment, with Verstappen keeping a steady 1s gap to Piastri. 

Elsewhere, Albon provided a snappy response to his team over radio having been asked to manage the gap to Sainz in front to not overheat his tyres. He reminded his race engineer, James Urwin, that Hadjar is not far behind in 10th...

Lap 12

Norris: "Tyres are hot, so...clean air would be incredible."

The McLaren driver is currently seventh, within a second of Lewis Hamilton in front. But given Norris started on the hards, one would image it's a bit too early for him to pit. 

Lap 13

Just moments after the last update, Norris overtook Hamilton in the final sector...only for the Ferrari driver to get DRS down the pit straight and reclaim sixth. 

Lap 14

It appears that lightning does strike twice...

Norris overtook Hamilton for sixth in the final sector on lap 14, only for the Ferrari driver to once again pass him down the pit straight with DRS.

"Play the game" is the response of Will Joseph, Norris' race engineer. 

Lap 15

Finally, having perhaps wasted a couple of laps, Norris overtakes Hamilton for good after passing the Ferrari down the pit straight. 

The gap to Andrea Kimi Antonelli ahead is three seconds. 

Lap 17

A measured drive from Piastri so far, keeping within two-seconds of Verstappen in front.

Why bother battling with him when the race leader has a five-second penalty?

Lap 18

Norris is on the move despite that battle with Hamilton taking longer than it perhaps should have.

He is within a second of Antonelli, proving the hard tyre to be an optimal compound around Jeddah.

Lap 19

Norris is the only driver making real gains at the moment. He has just overtaken Antonelli down the pit straight for fifth. 

Fourth-placed Leclerc is five-seconds ahead. 

Lap 19

Haas rookie Oliver Bearman is the first driver to pit, while Piastri has been called in by McLaren.

Red Bull is deciding to keep Verstappen out with the world champion showing strong pace, having built up a 2.8s advantage.

Lap 20

Many more drivers are coming into the pitlane now. That includes Piastri, who has rejoined in sixth on the hard rubber after McLaren was a little slow fitting his tyres.

Lap 22

Verstappen finally pits, two laps after Piastri. The Red Bull driver has served his 5s penalty and rejoins fifth on track, with Hamilton splitting him and third-placed Piastri, who has the net lead.

The Red Bull driver trails the McLaren by three-seconds.

Lap 23

Leclerc and Norris are currently the top two and showing no signs of pitting. 

Lap 24

That was the last thing Verstappen needed. He spent the whole of the last lap behind held up by Hamilton, before eventually getting past at the end of the tour as the Ferrari came in to pit.

Verstappen now trails Piastri by 3.9s.

Lap 28

Leclerc and Norris are still going very strong here, maintaining a comfortable gap on Piastri in third despite having not yet pitted.

Are they now waiting for a safety car?

Lap 30

Leclerc finally pits from the lead and rejoins on the hard tyre in fifth. A mega opening stint from the Ferrari driver.

Norris now leads, but has not yet pitted having started on hard rubber unlike the other front runners, who began on mediums. 

Lap 33

It's not just Norris who is yet to pit, as rookie Hadjar also started on the hards and the Racing Bulls driver is now seventh.

Stroll and Hulkenberg also started on the hard rubber and are yet to pit, with the pair sitting 11th and 12th respectively.

Lap 35

Piastri was starting to get restless behind Norris, having closed the gap to two-seconds. 

And to the Aussie's delight, his team-mate has now pitted for medium rubber, rejoining in fifth.

Lap 36

Gabriel Bortoleto has been issued a black-and-white flag for moving under braking in his earlier battle with Fernando Alonso.

Lap 37

As things stand, Piastri will take the F1 championship lead for the first time in his career as he leads by 4.5s while Norris is down in fifth.

It's been a solid recovery drive for Norris having started in 10th, but what would be considered a good race for him? 

He is currently on the medium rubber while others are on hards and Norris is 5.6s behind the podium spots.

Lap 38

Speaking of the podium spots, Leclerc has just overtaken George Russell down the pit straight for third.

Leclerc is seven-seconds behind Verstappen, while Russell leads Norris by three-seconds.

Lap 41

Norris is on the move again, overtaking Russell for fourth down the pit straight.

However, the McLaren driver has been noted for crossing the line at pit exit earlier on. So, if guilty, a time penalty is coming his way.