The first triple-header of the 2025 Formula 1 season draws to a close this weekend, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and there is no shortage of storylines to discuss.
Let’s waste no time, and dive right in.
A new dynamic at McLaren
Entering the 2025 F1 season, Lando Norris was considered the favorite for the Drivers’ Championship, and McLaren was tapped to repeat as Constructors’ champions.
While one dynamic remains the same, a new script has emerged when it comes to the Drivers’ title.
Oscar Piastri became the first repeat winner of the young season last weekend, with a command performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The third-year driver did not put a foot wrong almost all weekend, taking pole position and taking the checkered flag ahead of George Russell, and Norris, to secure the win. The victory pulled Piastri within three points of his teammate Norris atop the Drivers’ Championship standings, and in the minds of many, made him the new favorite for the title.
Where do these two teammates go from here?
To hear Norris and Piastri tell it, this is a story they expected before the season began. Both drivers talked at length in the FIA Press Conference following the Bahrain Grand Prix how they anticipated a title fight among them, with other drivers sure to play a role. Russell has quietly emerged as a potential spoiler in this fight, thanks to a podium finish in three out of four grands prix this year, and one can certainly never count out Max Verstappen.
But at the moment, the McLaren teammates are the top dogs in this fight. How does Piastri handle his new status as the driver considered the favorite? How does Norris bounce back after a rather mixed result for him in Bahrain, and how does he handle this new dynamic?
Both drivers are fast, the MCL39 is incredibly quick, and this fight is shaping up to be a story for the ages.
Can Red Bull find an answer?
In the wake of a difficult Bahrain Grand Prix for Verstappen and Red Bull, the team did not simply pack up the hospitality space and head to Jeddah.
According to Motorsport, Red Bull “held an impromptu meeting with its key personnel at the track to figure out its next steps, with attendees including team boss Christian Horner, advisor Helmut Marko, technical director Pierre Wache, and chief engineer Paul Monaghan.”
Marko then spoke with reporters in Bahrain, terming the state of play “not acceptable” for the team.
“It’s a very difficult day for Red Bull, that’s obvious to all of us,” Marko told reporters after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“We have to get, as soon as possible, performance in the car again and also standards like a pitstop have to work. The car is not the fastest and then the pitstops are not working. That is not acceptable.”
With Verstappen finishing sixth, and Yuki Tsunoda picking up his first points for the senior team with a ninth-place finish, Red Bull secured a double-points finish.
Their first of the season, and the first for the team since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
According to reports, Red Bull is planning for a big upgrade package to arrive at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix:
But that race is in May, after both this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the Miami Grand Prix. If they have any hope of using that upgrade package to chase down McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, and for Verstappen to close the gap to Norris and Piastri in front of him, they’ll need to secure every possible point over these next two weekends they can manage.
And they’ll need that upgrade package to work.
A thrilling midfield fight resumes along the Red Sea
The midfield fight is often a fascinating undercard during an F1 season.
But this year’s midfield fight is shaping up to be a battle royale.
Thanks to a double-points result in Bahrain — and an unexpected one at that — Haas vaulted into fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship standings, one point ahead of Williams. But the gap from fifth to tenth is rather slim:
Haas: 20 points
Williams: 19 points
Aston Martin: 10 points
VCARB: 7 points
Alpine: 6 points
Sauber: 6 points
Those point totals also mean that after just four race weekends, every team has scored multiple points this season. At this point last year three teams — Williams, Alpine, and Sauber — had yet to secure a single point:
The midfield fight is shaping up to be fascinating to watch, but if there is a team in this group that could have an advantage this week, it is Haas. The reason? Oliver Bearman made his F1 debut at the tricky Jeddah Corniche Circuit a season ago, and while that came in a Ferrari, it gives him a leg up on his fellow rookies as the grid heads to Saudi Arabia.
Can Mercedes, and George Russell, maintain their consistency?
Is Mercedes the most surprising team of the young 2025 season?
McLaren’s strong start was expected, and while Red Bull’s struggles are a bit of a surprise Verstappen still has one grand prix victory under his belt, and there are expectations that the team could turn things around.
But the Silver Arrows have been a story of consistency this season. Russell has finished in the points in every event this year, including a podium finish in three of the four grands prix this year, and rookie Kimi Antonelli has enjoyed a fantastic start to his F1 career. The Italian driver has 30 points already this season and sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, two points behind Charles Leclerc … and five points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
When the season began the fact that both Russell and Antonelli were on expiring contracts was certainly something to monitor, but the latest paddock rumors indicate that Russell may be close to putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal with the team. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but Russell’s consistency this season is certainly playing well in Brackley. “[George] did a tremendous job. He definitely saved the podium for the team,” said Team Principal Toto Wolff after his P2 in Bahrain. “He suffered a brake-by-wire failure and was having to manage brake pedal pressure that was changing from corner to corner. To do that without losing any time was amazing. He also nurtured the Soft tires well in that final stint, was fast when it mattered, and defended in all the right places to maximize the result.”
Russell’s consistency has also made him a player in the Drivers’ Championship fight as he sits fourth, just 14 points behind Norris, and the team is sitting in second, 58 points behind McLaren but 22 points ahead of Red Bull.
This has been almost a dream start for Mercedes. Can they keep that rolling in Saudi Arabia?
Has Ferrari turned a corner?
Then there is Ferrari.
Bahrain was the best result of the season for the team, as Charles Leclerc came home fourth with Lewis Hamilton behind him in fifth. It was an “encouraging” result according to Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur.
“[W]e scored good points with both Charles and Lewis who did well to come back after a tough qualifying, producing a strong race which is very encouraging,” said Vasseur after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“We are where we are: McLaren is still a step ahead but we were fighting with them in the second stint and we have been able to fight with both Mercedes and Red Bulls. We’ll keep working to be more competitive in the next races, starting in Saudi Arabia next week.”
The hope going forward starts with Hamilton, who seems to be coming to grips with life at Ferrari. Hamilton was rather despondent after Saturday’s difficult qualifying performance, as he was heard apologizing to the team over the radio after Q3 for “not doing the job” during the session.
Sunday was a different story, as Hamilton secured his best grand prix finish in red and said after the race that he not only learned a lot, but that he knows “what to search for” going forward.
“I learned a lot today, and as I saw, that middle stint I was really in line with the car and I had the pace and I was moving forwards,” Hamilton said on Sunday.
“I need that at the beginning and the end and I need that in Qualifying so I know what to search for now.”
That is likely music to Tifosi ears.
Mastering the tricky Jeddah Corniche Circuit
One of the storylines this week?
The circuit itself.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the fastest street circuit in the world, posing challenges for teams and drivers not just on every single lap, but on every single turn, of which there are a lot. With 27 corners, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit has the most turns on a track this season, but some of those come at astonishing speeds. The track has three DRS zones, including one that runs from Turn 24 to the hairpin at Turn 27, meaning drivers take some of those turns in between at speeds more than 300 kilometers per hour.
“Jeddah is just an insane Formula 1 track – it is basically Monza with walls,” described Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti, whose first F2 Feature race win came at Jeddah, in the team’s media preview.
“It gives a driver exactly what they want, the chance to put a race car on the edge. It is a circuit that really requires precision, especially on the sector one apexes. If you turn in a bit too early and clip the wall, that is race over. Take risks in Jeddah by all means, but don’t overdo it.”
Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant had this to say about the circuit when we spoke ahead of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: “It’s a great track but I’d be lying if we said it wasn’t dangerous. But it’s one of those that, you know, the adrenaline gets going and it’s a fun track, especially when you do good laps.”
What driver will put in those good laps this year? We will find out later this week.