CHRISTIAN HORNER knows Max Verstappen is up against a “very rounded” competitor in Oscar Piastri but is encouraged by Red Bull’s performance in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

Verstappen started on pole but was handed a five-second penalty for cutting the corner to stay ahead of Piastri at turn one, allowing the Australian to take the lead at the pit stops.

He went on to a comfortable win and with it assumed the lead of the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career, overtaking team-mate Lando Norris.

Verstappen’s Red Bull future had dominated pre-race talk in Jeddah after a tough weekend in Bahrain but he delivered a stunning pole lap and showed strong race pace.

Horner knows that Piastri, who now leads Norris by 10 points with Verstappen two further back, is tough opposition for the four-time world champion.

“Oscar has won three races to Lando’s one. He looks like the driver in form at this moment in time,” Horner said of Piastri.

“He is now the leader of the championship. Had Max have won he would have been leading the championship so things move around pretty quickly.

“That was probably our most competitive race of the year to date in terms of raw pace.”