Max Verstappen named Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver of the Day
The Red Bull driver, who started from pole position, was voted Driver of the Day. A surprising result, given Lando Norris's comeback.
Once again, the driver of the day result is very surprising. Max Verstappen inherited this title at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman certainly displayed a very interesting pace and put up resistance against Oscar Piastri, but there wasn’t really a battle.
The four-time world champion could have won this event, but a contentious maneuver at the start between him and the Australian ultimately cost him a five-second penalty. A sanction that did not allow him to keep the lead in this Grand Prix.
The votes for the best driver according to the fans:
Max Verstappen – 23.3%
Charles Leclerc – 16.3%
Lando Norris – 15.1%
Oscar Piastri – 13.8%
Carlos Sainz – 5.5%
In light of the race, another man deserved this honorary title: Lando Norris. A different strategy allowed him to take greater advantage of his McLaren’s performance. Following a difficult qualifying session that ended with an accident and a collision with the wall, Lando Norris was much cleaner during the race.
The Briton, who started 10th, managed to climb up to fourth place. A decent result given the car he’s driving. He didn’t face real competition, except from Lewis Hamilton, who, as a seasoned veteran, didn’t make it easy for him. It took him three laps to overtake the seven-time world champion.
In the final laps, Lando Norris was closing in on a Charles Leclerc who was losing pace. But the Ferrari driver pushed as hard as he could to keep the McLaren out of the DRS zone.
With this result, Lando Norris limited the damage in the championship. However, he leaves the lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri, who won and has been perfect for several races now.
