Oscar Piastri just did something Michael Schumacher never managed in his F1 career at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

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Oscar Piastri leads the Formula 1 world championship after his victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. It’s the first time in his career he’s occupied top spot.

Piastri is the first Australian to head the standings since former Red Bull driver Mark Webber, now his manager, back in 2010. He replaces McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

The season started disastrously for driver number 81, who spun out of victory contention at his home race and finished ninth. Since then, however, he’s collected 82 of the 100 points available.

Max Verstappen pipped Piastri to pole position by just one hundredth of a second, but the 24-year-old made a better start and got to the apex of turn one first. Verstappen cut the corner and claimed he’d been forced off, but the stewards handed him a five-second penalty.

Piastri duly took the lead following the pit-stop phase and controlled the race in what’s quickly becoming trademark fashion. Norris’ fightback after a qualifying crash ended in fourth place, which sees him slip 10 points adrift.

Oscar Piastri younger than Michael Schumacher when he first led F1 standings

Piastri was 24 years, zero months and 14 days old when he took over the championship lead. He becomes the eighth-youngest driver ever to hold that mantle.

Lewis Hamilton still holds the all-time record, with Piastri slotting in between Verstappen and Norris. Fernando Alonso is sixth, with Charles Leclerc now 10th.

Piastri also bumps seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher down to 12th place. The German’s victory at the 1994 Brazilian GP, the season opener, set him on course for the title.

Schumacher became a champion in his third full F1 season, and Piastri could now emulate that feat. McLaren are the fastest team on the grid, and he seems more comfortable in the MCL39 than Norris.

The records Oscar Piastri broke at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix including James Hunt feat

Piastri’s fifth win for McLaren sees him overtake Fernando Alonso on the team’s all-time list. He’s also equalled James Hunt for podiums in their colours (13).

After winning the Bahrain GP, Piastri eclipsed Ayrton Senna’s McLaren points tally. Now he’s surpassed Nigel Mansell for outright points (488 vs 482), albeit with the aid of a more fruitful scoring system.

Verstappen praised Piastri on Sunday, hailing his ‘very calm’ approach. The Red Bull driver believes his competitor is benefitting from Webber’s assistance.

Last year, he had to hold off Norris to win the title, but now he faces a new challenger. The race in Jeddah was their first direct head-to-head this year, and it’s 1-0 to Piastri.