Formula 1: Piatri races with Dschidda victory for the World Cup lead

With a ripped-off coolness performance on the dangerous high-speed course from Dschidda, Oscar Piatri himself did not give the surprisingly strengthened Max Verstappen and took over the World Cup lead for the first time in his career. Thanks to his second victory, the 24-year-old Australian snatched in the classification thanks to his second victory in a row and already the third place for his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Verstappen, who had received a time penalty due to a maneuver in the first curve at the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia against Piatri, made it to second place. After the surprise pole the day before, the 27-year-old Dutch emphasized that nobody should write him down in series because of the stubborn Red Bull in the fight for his fifth World Cup title. In third place in Dschidda Charles Leclerc drove in Ferrari, followed by Norris as fourth. For Nico Hülkenberg it was only 15th in the clean.

Not a good day for the only German pilot

Everything started on the start. To the great surprise of everyone – including himself – Verstappen had made it to the poles, the 42nd of his career. His lead over Piatri: Ten thousandths of a second.

Already at the start of the Grand Prix Hattricks with three races on three consecutive weekends, Verstappen in Japan had brought everything out of the RB 20, which was so complicated. In Suzuka, he was able to defend his poles and create his first win of the season with the winning of Japan’s Grand Prix and dupe the McLaren duo in the actually stronger car.

Norris with tire risk to qualifying crash

Norris already fell behind in Saudi Arabia. Driving errors, crash, only tenth place in qualification. Also meant: risk to get forward in the race. Only Norris made the toughest tire set open at the start. And at temperatures of just under 40 degrees in Dschidda.

Piatri and Verstappen waited at the front on the middle -wide tires that the red traffic lights go out. When it happened, Piatri caught the somewhat better start. In addition to Verstappen, he crowded into the first curve with a slight advantage, it became tight for the Dutch, he gave away, left the route and drove back on the side of Piatri on the side of the asphalt.

Problem: This is not allowed. Problem solution one: Verstappen voluntarily leaves Piatri. Problem solution two: Verstappen gets a time penalty. The team did without an announcement, instead his racing engineer Verstappen informed about the five seconds he got. “This is damn wonderful,” commented Verstappen cynically.

Due to an early Safety car phase due to an accident by Verstappen’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and the French alpine driver Pierre Gasly, Verstappen was not able to get out of a lead. Piatri also stayed large in the rear -view mirror when Bernd Mayländer drove the Safety Car, which has been used there at least once since the first race in Dschidda.

Norris had benefited from the failures of Tsunoda and Gasly who started in front of him and continued to work. However, the 25-year-old did not always act cleverly. Twice he overtook record world champion Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari so that he could counter.

By radio to Verstappen: “Give everything you have”

Now Norris made a tougher tire paid. The competition on the rubber with the yellow marking gradually had problems. Obviously not Verstappen, he expanded the lead over Piatri to almost three seconds. George Russell in Mercedes was almost nine seconds ago.

Time to act at McLaren: Piatri came to the box and now let the most durable tires open. Russell also came in. Now the team around Red Bull’s strategy Hannah Schmitz was in demand. And the exceptional skills. “Give everything you have,” his racing engineer sparked before taking his protégé to change the tire.

The mechanics kept five seconds, then they changed the tires. Piatri was now before Verstappen, who briefly hung behind Hamilton. Ultimately, he could no longer get Piatri. After the weekend to forget to forget in Bahrain, more was previously expected than Verstappen and Red Bull had expected.