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.

It was the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’s critical juncture. And no, it was not the controversial lap-one clash between Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, officiated fairly and promptly by the stewards, who handed the Red Bull driver a five-second penalty. Of course, the punishment was a pivotal verdict. But it was not the pivotal moment.

In the battle for Formula 1’s drivers’ championship, as in the first turn at the Jeddah street circuit, two into one simply does not fit.But Oscar Piastri’s fight for position against four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen in the opening seconds of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix early Monday morning (AEST) showed that the baby-faced assassin from bayside Melbourne could yet emerge with the biggest title in world motor sport.