McLaren driver Oscar Piastri wins F1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to take overall lead

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Oscar Piastri has shown he has the pace to fight for the Formula 1 title. In winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday, he showed he can win an argument, too.

For the first time this season, a penalty played a key role in deciding a race win as Piastri went top of the standings with his victory.

Piastri's two earlier wins this season had been dominant drives from pole position. This time he had to get past four-time champion Max Verstappen.

Verstappen started on pole but went off the track when battling for the lead with Piastri at the very first corner. He stayed in front but got a five-second penalty. Piastri argued he had got in front of Verstappen on the inside of the corner and deserved the place.

“Once I got on the inside, I wasn’t coming out of turn one in second," Piastri said.

"I tried my best. Obviously the stewards had to get involved. I thought I was plenty far enough up and that’s what won me the race.”

Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari and Piastri's McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, finished fourth thanks to a smart strategy and overtaking. Norris had started 10th following a crash in qualifying.

It was the second win in a row for Piastri, who took the victory in Bahrain last week and has three wins from five races this year. He'd only won two before this season.

Piastri leads the standings by 10 points from Norris, with Verstappen two points further back in third.

Piastri was three points behind Norris going into Sunday’s race, partly because of a costly spin at his home race in Australia, the first GP of the season.

He becomes the first Australian to lead the F1 standings since Mark Webber — who is now Piastri's manager — in 2010 as a Red Bull driver. No Australian has won the title since Alan Jones in 1980.

Piastri said the penalty was what gave him the win. He had problems keeping up with Verstappen's car before the pit stops without damaging his tires.

Piastri beat Verstappen off the line and was slightly ahead into the first corner, only for Verstappen to run wide across the chicane. Following a crash between Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly seconds later, Piastri and Verstappen argued their cases over the radio while lined up behind the safety car.

Verstappen accused Piastri of forcing him off but the stewards disagreed and gave the Dutch driver a five-second penalty for driving off-track and gaining an advantage. That was “lovely,” Verstappen reacted sarcastically. He had to serve the penalty parked at his pit stop before the crew could touch the car to change tires.

Asked about the incident after the race, Verstappen instead praised the fans and the track and said “the rest is what it is.”

Norris recovered to fourth after starting 10th.

Norris’ strategy was the opposite of most of the field, starting on the slower, longer-lasting hard tires. It meant he briefly led the race after most other drivers had pitted earlier and could have put him in a position to win if there was a incident requiring the safety car or red flag while he was leading.

There nearly was a big crash when Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto banged wheels while battling for position near the back of the field. Two-time champion Alonso ran into a runoff area but kept his car under control.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, front, steers his car followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, front, steers his car followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, left, steers his car followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, front, steers his car followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, right, celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan steers his car during the third free practice ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A mechanic works on the Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso's car during the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Thaier Al-Sudani/Pool Via AP)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands thumbs up after setting the pole position in the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris' car is carried out of the track after crashing during the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, pole position, is flanked by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, left, second fastest time and Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, third fastest time after the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, pole position, left, cheers with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, second fastest time, after the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A federal appeals panel on Thursday reversed a lower court decision that released former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil from an immigration jail, bringing the government one step closer to detaining and ultimately deporting the Palestinian activist.

The three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t decide the key issue in Khalil’s case: whether the Trump administration’s effort to throw Khalil out of the U.S. over his campus activism and criticism of Israel is unconstitutional.

But in its 2-1 decision, the panel ruled a federal judge in New Jersey didn’t have jurisdiction to decide the matter at this time. Federal law requires the case to fully move through the immigration courts first, before Khalil can challenge the decision, they wrote.

“That scheme ensures that petitioners get just one bite at the apple — not zero or two,” the panel wrote. “But it also means that some petitioners, like Khalil, will have to wait to seek relief for allegedly unlawful government conduct.”

The law bars Khalil “from attacking his detention and removal in a habeas petition,” the panel added.

It was not clear whether the government would seek to detain Khalil, a legal permanent resident, again while his legal challenges continue.

Thursday’s decision marked a major win for the Trump administration’s sweeping campaign to detain and deport noncitizens who joined protests against Israel.

In a statement distributed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Khalil said the appeals ruling was “deeply disappointing, but it does not break our resolve.”

He added: “The door may have been opened for potential re-detainment down the line, but it has not closed our commitment to Palestine and to justice and accountability. I will continue to fight, through every legal avenue and with every ounce of determination, until my rights, and the rights of others like me, are fully protected.”

Baher Azmy, one of Khalil's lawyers, said the ruling was “contrary to rulings of other federal courts.” He noted the panel’s finding concerned a “hypertechnical jurisdictional matter,” rather than the legality of the Trump administration’s policy.

“Our legal options are by no means concluded, and we will fight with every available avenue,” he added, saying Khalil would remain free pending the full resolution of all appeals, which could take months or longer.

The ACLU said the Trump administration cannot lawfully re-detain Khalil until the order takes formal effect, which won't happen while he can still immediately appeal.

Khalil's lawyers can request the active judges on the 3rd Circuit hear an appeal, or they can go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

An outspoken leader of the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia, Khalil was arrested on March 8, 2025. He then spent three months detained in a Louisiana immigration jail, missing the birth of his firstborn.

Federal officials have accused Khalil of leading activities “aligned to Hamas,” though they have not presented evidence to support the claim and have not accused him of criminal conduct. They have also accused Khalil, 30, of failing to disclose information on his green card application.

The government has justified the arrest under a seldom-used statute that allows for the expulsion of noncitizens whose beliefs are deemed to pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.

In June, a federal judge in New Jersey ruled that justification would likely be declared unconstitutional and ordered Khalil released.

President Donald Trump's administration appealed that ruling, arguing the deportation decision should fall to an immigration judge, rather than a federal court.

Khalil has dismissed the allegations as “baseless and ridiculous,” framing his arrest and detention as a “direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.”

Judge Arianna Freeman dissented Thursday, writing that her colleagues were holding Khalil to the wrong legal standard. Khalil, she wrote, is raising “now-or-never claims” that can be handled at the district court level. He does not have a final order of removal, which would permit a challenge in an appellate court, she wrote.

Both judges who ruled against Khalil, Thomas Hardiman and Stephanos Bibas, were Republican appointees. President George W. Bush appointed Hardiman to the 3rd Circuit, while Trump appointed Bibas. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, appointed Freeman.

The majority opinion noted Freeman worried the ruling would leave Khalil with no remedy for unconstitutional immigration detention, even if he later can appeal.

“But our legal system routinely forces petitioners — even those with meritorious claims — to wait to raise their arguments, the judges wrote. “To be sure, the immigration judge’s order of removal is not yet final; the Board has not affirmed her ruling and has held the parties’ briefing deadlines in abeyance pending this opinion. But if the Board ultimately affirms, Khalil can get meaningful review.”

The decision comes as an appeals board in the immigration court system weighs a previous order that found Khalil could be deported. His attorneys have argued that the federal order should take precedence.

That judge has suggested Khalil could be deported to Algeria, where he maintains citizenship through a distant relative, or Syria, where he was born in a refugee camp to a Palestinian family.

His attorneys have said he faces mortal danger if forced to return to either country.

Associated Press Writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this story.

FILE - Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil holds a news conference outside Federal Court on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 in Philadelphia (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)