Any one of four different drivers could lead the championship by the end of the weekend.
Will Lando Norris rebound from his latest disappointment in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix? Could we see a repeat of Haas’s unorthodox 2024 tactics at this race?Here are the talking points for this weekend.
Norris’s fragile lead
Lando Norris has led the world championship since he won the opening round of the season in Australia. Following on from his emphatic win in the final race of last year, Norris looked set to take control of the championship, but it hasn’t worked out that way, and anyone of three drivers could take the lead from him this weekend.
His team mate Oscar Piastri, who scored his second win of the year in Bahrain last weekend, is the obvious favourite. Now just three points behind Norris, Piastri also comfortably beat his team mate at this race last year.
Max Verstappen is of course not to be discounted. The performance of his RB21 may be highly variable – he’s taken a win and a sixth place in the last two rounds – but the lower degradation nature of the Jeddah circuit should suit it.
Mercedes haven’t looked quite capable of winning a race on merit yet but George Russell has made a superb start to the season. Separating the McLarens in Bahrain despite myriad technical problems in his W16 was a notable high. But as he’s 14 points adrift of Norris he’ll need a lot to go right for him in order to leave Jeddah at the top of the standings.
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Alonso on zero
None of that is likely to deflect the team from its stated intention of prioritising its preparations for next year. It brought Adrian Newey in to design a car for the 2026 regulations, he wasn’t able to start until March and diverting him to work on this year’s car would make little sense.
For Alonso and Lance Stroll, that is likely to mean dealing with the AMR25 as best as they can in the meantime. Stroll is already on the scoreboard, but how long will it take Alonso to join him as their midfield rivals increasingly seem to have the upper hand?
Bearman back again
Oliver Bearman returns to the scene of his remarkably successful short-notice debut for Ferrari last year, now as a full-time driver. Given that he’s started every race since then for Haas, his scoring rate has been downright impressive: Last weekend Bearman produced his fifth points finish from seven grand prix appearances.
This weekend will be the first time in his career he can benefit from prior grand prix experience. Haas have made impressive progress with sorting out the early problems with their VF-25, so another top 10 finish has to be the target.
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Sacrificial strategies
When the Safety Car appeared early on, Haas pitted Magnussen but left Hulkenberg out, inheriting eighth place. Magnussen was then told to delay the drivers behind him, which he did, even picking up penalties as he thwarted their attempts to pass him.
With a queue of around half-a-dozen cars backed up behind him, Magnussen slowed down by almost two seconds per lap compared to his team mate, allowing Hulkenberg to build up enough of a gap to pit into and claim the final point.
Could we see similar ‘sacrificial strategies’ this weekend? That will depend on what shape the field is in during the first stint, potentially whether the Safety Car deployed – and how hard it proves to pass.
Softly does it
In the fourth year since F1 overhauled its technical regulations in the name of improving the quality of racing, the latest cars seem no more able to race closely together than the last generation was. They are certainly no less reliant on DRS to generate changes of position, as the rules governing it have been relaxed since then.
This weekend’s race is the first of three in a row where F1’s official tyre supplier has chosen to bring softer rubber than last year. Will this increase variability in strategies and encourage more exchanges of position? Or are we just going to see even more extreme tyre saving?
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DRS problems
George Russell was investigated and not penalised for one such infringement. Charles Leclerc also used his DRS when he shouldn’t have, and judging by his reaction he clearly did not intend to open it briefly in between two high-speed corners.
Did race control take the right action? Were drivers given sufficient warning that they might activate DRS at the wrong point on the circuit? The consequences of a crash in which a driver accidentally opens their DRS open heading into one of Jeddah’s ultra-fast corners with minimal run-off could be extremely serious.
Are you going to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix? Have your say below.
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2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- “Singapore plan” radio message was the wrong choice of words, Vowles admits
- ‘You’re the effective leader’: Full radio from Piastri and Verstappen’s Jeddah tussle
- Leclerc hopes new front wing for Spanish GP will be “turning point” for Ferrari
- Fake swearing? F1 censored Verstappen calling his penalty “really lovely”
- Verstappen praises Piastri’s calmness and lack of errors: “I like that”
Jere (@jerejj)
16th April 2025, 7:52
Norris’s fragile lead – I’d be willing to bet on Piastri leaving Jeddah with the championship lead & at the current rate, I’d even consider him as the championship favorite as the season progresses.
Alonso on zero – I think he’ll continue to be point-less for a few more rounds at least.
Bearman back again – I’m sure he’ll perform decently, but whether that’ll be enough for another points-finish is another matter due to field tightness.
Sacrificial strategies – I doubt any similar tactics will occur simply because Magnussen isn’t racing in F1 anymore & more broadly, overtaking will definitely be comparatively harder because following has gotten harder again, & perhaps the Saudi Arabian GP would finally be entirely neutralization-free.
Softly does it – Strategic variability could increase, but I don’t think racing quality will be any better with a softer compound combination.
DRS problems – The same situation is unlikely to re-arise or certainly not for a little while, given that similar issues with DRS in the past proved to be a one-off thing for the time being (e.g., 2013 Hungarian & 2018 Azerbaijan GPs), so most likely back to normal service rather than the same thing happening for the second consecutive round, especially as the whole situation was caused by a timing transponder glitch, which is rare anyway.
Dan Rooke (@geekzilla9000)
16th April 2025, 8:41
@jerejj – I also see Piastri as Championship Favourite now. I see Norris as the faster of the two, he also lacks consistency. I know it’s early and I will no doubt change my mind at some point, but Piastri seems very consistent and almost dispassionate, that detachment doesn’t make for exciting radio, and it also detracts from the ‘energy’ of the race – but as long as he doesn’t make mistakes and remains consistent then that could be the key.
Had he not made the mistake which cost him a win in Australia then Piastri would likely be top of the championship (I say “likely” as you never know what impact that result would have had on the subsequent races with different mindsets, etc). And we shouldn’t forget that Norris also made a similar mistake that race, albeit not quite as big and managed to recover it.
And Max – I don’t think the Red Bull is that great, I don’t think it ever has been and I think Max is the perfect example of a driver making the difference. If Max weren’t in the car I think Red Bull would have been a solid midfield for the last few seasons, I really wouldn’t be surprised if either of Max/Piastri/Norris won the championship this year. I don’t really want to see Max win it, but I can’t deny his talent. I want Norris to win and I’ll sit watching the race with my Norris T-shirt on (while my wife wears her Max t-shirt!), but I’m not that tribal and I’ll be happy no matter who wins.
If McLaren have shown us anything last year – it’s that a late season improvement can turn a championship battle massively around. Mercedes or Ferrari may end up spoiling the Papaya brigade, maybe I’ll end up digging out my old McLaren top, the one with “Hamilton” on the back.
An Sionnach
16th April 2025, 9:10
Hmm… yes. The McLaren boys have shown that they are capable of dropping enough points to allow someone else to swoop in if they get the car. Perhaps Max doesn’t need The Car, but he can’t win in Any Car, which is what the Red Bull increasingly looks like. Russell and Leclerc have shown good improvements in the last year and could win it given the car. Lewis has the talent, but also needs to get to grips with the new team. Leclerc has to have a “head start” this year.
JimG (@jimg)
16th April 2025, 10:36
It would be rather satisfying (to me at least) if we had a repeat of 2007 – the McLaren drivers take points off each other and Hamilton swoops in the Ferrari to take the WDC :-D
Dan Rooke (@geekzilla9000)
16th April 2025, 10:51
Ha ha ha!! That would be some poetic justice which would make up for the upset of seeing Lewis get stuck in the gravel at Suzuka!
BenHur
17th April 2025, 3:58
No Suzuka and no upset
Bob
16th April 2025, 11:18
How is Norris lacking consistency when he’s the only driver to be on the podium in every race?
How did that mistake cost Piastri the win when he wasn’t even within DRS and was dropping back from Norris at that point of the race?
The blind hate people have developed for Norris for no reason since the middle of last year is completely baffling.
Dan Rooke (@geekzilla9000)
16th April 2025, 11:34
Fair point made, maybe not the win, but points.
The blind hate thing doesn’t apply with my comments though. There are some drivers I’m emotionally invested in and I love to see them win (Norris is one, and Lewis was definitely one for me – th vast majority of my F1 Merch is Lando and Lewis!).
I do agree absolutely that Norris’ results in terms of finishing positions are consistent, he’s being constantly on the podium. But he doesn’t have that metronomic pattern that some drivers have – Max for example, whether people like him or not, he’s absolutely awesome in an F1 car, and Lewis in the Mercedes (in there dominant period) was the same. I has his issues with mental health and I don’t think it fair that he is criticised for talking about it, I would love to see him get to grips with the car this year but he himself has said that he’s not comfortable in it and is surprised that he’s finished as high as he has.
Norris looks to have improved his starts (I know there was an issue in Bahrain but his set-off are much improved over last year) and I hoped that would enable him to feel more confident and ‘on it’. Whatever his demons are, I want him to overcome them.
asz
16th April 2025, 12:04
Not that baffling.
Fans want dominant drivers challenged, and when they emotionally invest in a rival who might be up to that job, and then it turns out their hopes were misplaced, it is always a change from very positive to very negative feelings. Disappointment, basically, taken out on the guy who caused it.
(Even the hate for Perez was mostly down to this, when from a more or less credible competitor to Verstappen he degraded into a nonentity.)
In the case of Norris, everyone looked forward to a self-confident, assertive 2.0 version who quickly learns from his own mistakes instead of publicly dwelling on them, advancing to the next level. This has not really happened so far.
David BR (@david-br)
16th April 2025, 23:01
‘Blind hate’ or ‘unconvinced’? If it makes you any happier, I’m equally unconvinced by Piastri and Norris. I also have no preference who wins between them and don’t dislike either. The prospect of a close fight all season adds some interest though, as does the fact that their inconsistency allows space for some other driver(s) to keep close to them in terms of points. I’d rate Russell as driving better than both and Antonelli could well keep on improving all season. Last season we saw Red Bull’s performance crumble and who’s to stay this year is definitely one of McLaren dominance?
It’s true last season lots of F1 fans wanted to see Verstappen challenged and were frustrated, first with McLaren, then with Norris, that nothing really materialized in the end.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
17th April 2025, 4:53
Well, newey isn’t at red bull any more, so there’s a good explanation for their struggles in development last year, mclaren didn’t lose any such important figure.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
17th April 2025, 4:48
The red bull certainly wouldn’t have been a solid midfielder in 2023! In the 2nd half of 2024, possible, but also depends who’s driving it: someone like leclerc would’ve had a similar speed as verstappen.
Mooa42
16th April 2025, 9:53
I’ll be interested to see how McLaren set their car up this year. My memory from last year is that they were extremely quick (0.5 of a sec faster) through the change of directions, from turn 4 to turn 20 but had no pace in the DRS zones and couldn’t overtake. If they start at the front it shouldn’t matter, but last year it cost them places.
I expect Lando and Max to bounce back, just a matter of getting the setup right.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
16th April 2025, 10:18
If Piastri wins this weekend and Norris finishes lower than 2nd, I can see McLaren starting to favour Piastri going forwards.
As it stands, Norris is too error-prone. Unless that stops, and fast, the team will naturally gravitate towards the most reliable driver, especially if they’re the one leading the WDC.
BasCB (@bascb)
16th April 2025, 12:36
I think that regardless it is far too early for McLaren to really do that Sonny. Remember how reluctant they were last year to back Norris when it was clear that Piastri wouldn’t have a chance and Norris only if they put their weight behind it.
I think it’s more to be expected that they back neither and we see their chances coming into jeopardy before they do so. And it really is too early to say whether Norris will mess up and Piastri will not mess up. Both have already made mistakes that led to others profiting several times this year. Afterall, there is a reason why Norris is still ahead, having mostly finished on the podium this year while Piastri is behind him despite winning 2 (+1 sprint) of the races.
anon
16th April 2025, 22:28
@bascb given McLaren were reluctant to back Norris until they were two thirds of the way through the 2024 season, even though Norris was 44 points ahead of Piastri at the time, you’re right that it’s very unlikely that McLaren will suddenly radically change the way they operate and start favouring Piastri after just a fifth of the season has passed and the most that Piastri could lead Norris by would be 22 points.
Furthermore, we know from how McLaren operated in 2024 that they place a much higher importance on the WCC compared to the WDC, so there isn’t a strong incentive for them to throw their weight behind either driver this early on in the season. Why would McLaren suddenly start acting in a completely different way? It seems to be more what that poster wants to wish will happen.
AlexS
17th April 2025, 0:06
No team will decide that at begin of championship, and i am sure something like that are in contract clauses, when and how it can be triggered.
iFuel
16th April 2025, 15:11
If Norris is leading the championship even if he won less races, that means he’s getting points more consistently than his teammate up to this point. But this statistic can change in this very race. It’s waaaaay too early to discount Norris, because if he’s leading while he’s doing bad, I can only imagine what will happen if he get it all together.
BMW P85 V10
16th April 2025, 16:17
3 drivers are able to snatch the lead in the standings. Of all 4 drivers that could be in the LEAD after SA is Norris the one who is less in form then the other. S I think the lead will change. Piastri, is the most logic option.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
16th April 2025, 18:15
It’s almost suspicious how bad Aston Martin is at this point. I know the focus will be on 2026 and Newey probably has had no impact on the current car etc, but now it looks like they’re 9th or sometimes 10th best team. Could they have decided to sack this year and just maximise their wind tunnel allowance? After all, does Lawrence Stroll really care whether they were to finish 5th or 10th in the constructors this year? The prize money isn’t really relevant if the team has all the money it needs from its shareholders.
anon
16th April 2025, 22:55
@keithedin the website “The Race” estimated the split in prize money for 2024, and finishing in 5th would add nearly another 70% to the amount of prize money compared to 10th place ($58 million for 10th and $99 million for 5th).
From the point of view of the team, giving up more than $40 million in revenue is a significant difference – especially when they’ve been drawing on that prize money to help fund their recent capital expenditure on new facilities. Whilst you might gain in terms of being able to do more aerodynamic testing, the attitude seems to be that the amount of development work you could do with the extra prize money from finishing higher in the WCC outweighs the advantage you might get in aerodynamic testing from finishing lower down the championship.
Also, up until the 30th June, Aston Martin’s aerodynamic testing allocation will be based on where they finished in 2024. If you wanted to maximise your wind tunnel testing allocation for 2025, they would have needed to finish in 10th place back in 2024 to get the maximum allowance now.
Paul (@frankjaeger)
16th April 2025, 18:17
It’s mind boggling seeing this anti-norris sentiment at the moment. People barely kicked up a stink when Piastri was getting absolutely whopped in quali last year and frequently outpaced in the race. Now Norris, who has the championship lead, and had a couple of slightly below par races, Piastri is being touted as the golden boy. Norris had Max as his opposite for a lot of the end of the last half of last season – Piastri didn’t, mostly because he wasn’t in the mix and had been selected as number 2 due to contrastingly poor results.
mog
16th April 2025, 22:10
I think the “anti-Norris” sentiment is understandable for a number of reasons.
First, people don’t appreciate the media, Sky for example and British media in particular, forcing Norris as a championship contender with their “subtle” comments on air. Yes, they are doing so, its obvious to anyone who isn’t a Norris fan.
Second, Norris has not ingratiated himself with the fans after his spiteful and childish comments last year ie Brasil, or his cool room comments to Lewis. He comes across as two faced.
Third, Norris may be fast but he is error prone and apparently this is due to his mental approach. People would rather back strong alpha drivers like Lewis, Max and perhaps Piastri.
Fourth, Piastri has proven he is a good driver, is getting good results, and on par or perhaps better in the long run than Norris – don’t forget Norris has quite a number of seasons more than him in the sport. Piastri gets dumped on by Norris fans, and others don’t like this and respond in kind to Norris.
So no, its not mind boggling. Don’t pretend it is.
Uglúk
17th April 2025, 7:49
On point, there are several reasons for this