Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 Highlights: Oscar Piastri Wins Ahead Of Max Verstappen, Leads Drivers' Championship

Greetings and thank you for joining us, as we take you through the lead-up and race action from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A dramatic qualifying has set the stage nicely for what should be an enthralling main event in Jeddah. We will bring you up to speed with all of it.

The action will get underway at 10:30pm India time. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 main event will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website in India. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in India.

Despite a promising start to qualifying, Lando Norris will start the race day all the way back in 10th place. That is because the McLaren driver suffered a major crash during the third session of qualifying, which also led to the race being red-flagged for some time. It remains to be seen how his car holds up today, and a podium finish from here appears to be highly improbable.

Here's what Oscar Piastri, who will start in the front row alongside Max Verstappen today, told official broadcaster Sky Sports ahead of the race: "(On making a move to overtake Verstappen) The best place would be Turn One but it's a short run so we will see. Our car is going to be quick and we're going to have our opportunities later in the race as well.

"There's not going to be just one moment to try and win the race, there's going to be a few to choose from hopefully."

"(On chances of victory) I think so, definitely, the Red Bull and Max look quite strong but we will wait and see. I'm confident we've got a strong car underneath us, tyre degradation seems to be one of our strengths at the moment so hopefully we can continue to use that.

"I think they (Red Bull) found a lot from Friday to Saturday so I'm not expecting them to be slow that's for sure, but hopefully we've still got an edge."

Quite the dramatic start to the race, which is tipped to be the fastest of the season. Verstappen starts well from pole and retains his lead, with Oscar Piastri tailing close by. But behind them, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda collide and crash, bringing out the yellow flag and the safety car in the very first lap. Both, Tsunoda and Gasly are out of the race.

Max Verstappen is still in the lead, but has copped a five-second penalty for leaving the track early in the race. The Red Bull Racing driver is not happy at all with the decision, but he has to live with it. Oscar Piastri continues to be second, and George Russell is in third.

Charles Leclerc continues to surge and at this point, is leading the pack. But that's also because he is yet to opt for a pit stop and the race is past the halfway mark. Lando Norris has also remarkably moved to second from his 10th place in the starting grid. But he, too, is yet to pit. Oscar Piastri is third and having pitted already, looking to take the lead.

As expected, Oscar Piastri takes the lead once his teammate Lando Norris heads for a pit stop. Max Verstappen is in second currently, the five-second penalty pushing him back. Charles Leclerc is third, and George Russell fourth with the final 10 laps coming up.

Lap 48 is now running and as it stands, Piastri leads with Verstappen behind him, a three-seconds-plus advantage with the McLaren driver. Charles Leclerc is third and Norris, remarkably is still in contention of a podium.

The Australian creates history! Oscar Piastri is the first to the chequered flag, pipping Max Verstappen. The victory in Jeddah means Piastri is now leading the drivers' championship this season - the first time since 2010 that an Aussie has done so.

Charles Leclerc completes the podium, edging out Lando Norris, who has done really well to finish fourth from P10 after the crash in qualifying.

Max Verstappen does not appear too happy at the end of the race, ostensibly due to the five-second penalty that effectively took away the lead from him. Meanwhile, the Australian anthem is played out as the podium celebrations are done. Here's how the drivers stood tonight:

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

8. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

9. Alex Albon (Williams)

10. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

13. Ollie Bearman (Haas)

14. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

15. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

17. Jack Doohan (Alpine)

18. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

Did Not Finish: Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

Did Not Finish: Pierre Gasly (Alpine)