'It's a shame': Lawson reflects on 10-second penalty in Saudi Arabia

Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on a points finish at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, crossing the line in 11th before a time penalty dropped him back to 12th.

The Racing Bulls driver was hit with a 10-second penalty for leaving the track during an overtake on Alpine's Jack Doohan on lap 28 of 50.

Lawson, 23, admitted in a post-race interview that his start had set the tone for a difficult afternoon in Jeddah.

"Just the wrong place on the first lap, when everything sort of happened and I went off track."

"It's a shame, I think the car was pretty quick honestly, and we just spent the whole race in traffic again, no matter what we did," Lawson said.

Despite the result, the weekend in Saudi Arabia had been "the most comfortable" he'd felt behind the wheel all season, he said.

"I think we're doing all the right things; it just needs to come together."

Lawson's teammate Isack Hadjar took 10th place, securing the final points position .

Australian McLaren driver Oscar Piastri went top of the Formula 1 standings with his victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Piastri started second alongside Max Verstappen and took the lead after Verstappen had to serve a five-second penalty.

Verstappen was penalised for driving off the track when battling for the lead with Piastri at the very first corner. Piastri argued he had got in front of Verstappen on the inside of the corner.

"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.

- Additional reporting by the Associated Press.