After Max Verstappen It seems to react when winning in Japan, the last race in BARÉIN returned to McLaren The status of great rival to beat: this weekend in Saudi Arabiain the fifth appointment of the year, who can stop the Papaya cars?
The Australian Oscar Piastri He was the winner in BARÉIN And he had already triumphed a few weeks before in China. In the first career of the course, in Australia, the winner was his British partner Lando Norris, who occupies the leadership of the World Cup with three points of advantage over PIASTRIsecond.
No number 1 in McLaren
These first four races and pre -season trials mark a clear trend: McLaren carries the baton. Only the Japanese triumph of Verstappen, winner of the last four World Cups but now third in the provisional general of the championship, has avoided the monologue of McLaren.
Is the 2025 World Cup will therefore a fratricidal pulse between Norris and Piastri, as numerous experts predict?
From their team they point out that there are no favoritism or predetermined hierarchy, which leaves the battle, starting with the imminent prize of Saudi Arabia, which marks a third consecutive weekend of competition in Formula 1.
“It is a really fast circuit and we have a fast car, so we hope to follow strong,” said Norris, which was worldwide runner -up last year and aspires to conquer its first world title.
Verstappen, the first of the rest
From 2021 to 2024, Verstappen was the champion and great dominator of the F1, but Red Bull seems in decline and with less fearsome weapons, which makes the Dutch difficult to fight for his fifth crown.
“Baréin’s was a difficult weekend for us and we didn’t get things right. We had several problems and we still have work to do with the car,” admitted ‘Mad Max’, who was sixth on Sunday in Sakhir.
Despite the problems, Verstappen continues from a relative closeness to the McLaren in the classification and arrives in Saudi Arabia at five Piestri and eight points from Norris.
Yedá’s urban circuit also brings good memories since he won there in 2022 and 2024.
“The objective is to give up the same as we did in Japan,” he said, thinking about the race he won earlier this month.
A Spanish point
Among the disappointments of the start of the season are the two Spanish pilots who participate in the competition, Carlos Sainz Jr (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
Sainz JR (30 years old), at its premiere with the English team after leaving its hole in Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton, has only added a point so far this season and in Baréin he even had to leave.
Its beginning of 2025 has therefore been very different from that of 2024, when in the first four great awards he won three podiums, including a victory in Australia.
In the case of Alonso its dot marker follows zero. His Aston Martin has lost competitiveness compared to 2024, when he had begun scoring in those first four great prizes of the season.
Very fast circuit
Passing in the days of the Sakhir circuit to the streets of Yeda will force the pilots to an adaptation exercise and will prove their versatility, being traced with obvious differences.
Yedá is the fastest urban circuit of the season and offers several opportunities to advance, something that contrasts with other paths in cities such as Monaco.
The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix entered the F1 calendar in 2021, within the country’s commitment to be on the international sport map.
McLaren failed to succeed in any of the four editions played there and arrives with everything apparently in favor to confirm his newly released hegemony.
