Bahrain showed just how costly anything less than perfect from Lando Norris can be when it comes to shipping points

Verstappen started on pole but was handed a five-second penalty for cutting the corner to stay ahead of Piastri at turn one, allowing the Australian to take the lead at the pit stops. He went on to a comfortable win and with it assumed the lead of the drivers' championship for the first time in his career,

By Alan Baldwin JEDDAH (Reuters) -Oscar Piastri won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday and seized the Formula One championship lead from McLaren teammate Lando Norris with his third win in five races.

Formula 1 leader Lando Norris has crashed in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, bringing out the red flag.

Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen, who has a contract worth £50m-a-year at Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, is being heavily linked with Aston and Mercedes given Red Bull’s recent downturn in form and new regulations being enforced in 2026.

It was a case of the glass being half-full, or half-empty, for Lando Norris at the Bahrain Grand Prix a week ago. On the one hand, Norris managed to recover from a difficult qualifying session to finish on the podium,