Piastri started eighth on the grid after an excellent performance in qualifying but he had a disastrous start to the race — sustaining damage to his front wing, forcing him to come into the pits on the very first lap.Watch the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2023 Live and ad-break free in racing on Kayo Sports. Begins 3:00PM AEDT April 3. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >“Not at all what he wanted after that superb qualifying,” Sky Sports commentator Karun Chandhok said.It didn’t get any better for McLaren when Norris had to pit on lap 3, also to replace his front wing.The pit stops relegated the teammates to the back of the grid and it was always going to be a struggle to push for a top 10 finish.But Piastri impressed, staying right on Norris’ tail despite the Brit being given the fresher medium tyres.Piastri passed Norris on lap 45, but his teammate immediately got back in front on the next corner.In a show of faith in the rookie, McLaren ordered Norris not to fight Piastri, and he eventually let his younger teammate overtake him with a couple of laps to go.“They have been on the team radio to Lando Norris saying don’t make it too difficult for Oscar Piastri,” Chandhok said. “That’s an interesting call, the rookie being given free reign to fight the No. 1 at McLaren.“This would be a quite a statement if Piastri could make his way past Lando Norris,” Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports.After getting past Norris, Piastri overtook Williams rookie Logan Sargeant on the last lap to finish 15th. Norris finished 17th.Coupled with his qualifying performance, it was an impressive second race weekend for Piastri after engine failure cruelled his debut in Bahrain.Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won his fifth Grand Prix, ahead of Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman scored an extra point for fastest lap to keep his lead in the drivers’ championship.Fernando Alonso crossed the line third and was celebrating two podium finishes to start the season — and his 100th F1 podium overall.But after standing on the podium, he was handed a 10-second penalty for not correctly serving a penalty during the race, elevating George Russell to third.Saudi Arabian GP results1) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)3) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)4) George Russell (Mercedes)5) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)6) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)7) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)8) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)9) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)10) Kevin Magnussen (Haas)11) Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)12) Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)13) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo14) Nyck De Vries (AlphaTauri)15) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)16) Logan Sargeant (Williams)17) Lando Norris (McLaren)18) Valtteri BottasDNFs: Alex Albon, Lance Stroll