Whew! That’s the only way to describe Sunday’s Formula One race in Jeddah.
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia—It was one of the most controversial and toughest nights on the Formula One season with two red flags, one safety car, and two virtual safety car periods, along with a collision between the top two championship contenders. In the end, Lewis Hamilton emerged as the winner with a 15-second victory over Max Verstappen. The outcome puts the Briton even in the world championship with his Dutch rival.
Valtteri Bottas narrowly took third in his Mercedes while Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished fourth.
“I’ve been in racing a long time, and that was incredibly tough,” said an exhausted Hamilton. “We had all sorts of things thrown at us, so I’m just really proud of everyone and great with the crowd.”
It is only the second time in F1 history that two drivers are tied for the championship going down to the wire, the last being in 1974 when Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni battled.
Hamilton took the lead early for the first two laps on this tight and quick circuit. Then things got dicey when Mick Schumacher in his Haaa struck the wall at turn 22 on lap 10. That brought out the first red flag, which lasted for 20 minutes. Then, only a few minutes after the restart, a three-car accident followed when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc struck Sergio Perez, spinning the Red Bull into the wall and out of the race. Immediately following that incident, the second Haas driver, Nikita Mazepin, tried to avoid Perez’s accident and ran directly into the back of Williams’s George Russell, putting both drivers out and bringing the second red flag period.
The mess put Ocon into the front for the restart, and Verstappen took advantage, taking the lead after Hamilton hit Ocon at the restart. Two virtual safety car periods followed when Yuki Tsunoda struck Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, ripping the front nose off the Alpha Tauri and shredding debris off Vettel’s car. The heavy debris brought another virtual period, giving both Verstappen and Hamilton the chance to fight each other again under the green flag.
When Hamilton attempted to pass again, Verstappen slowed considerably. But just when it seemed that Hamilton was ready to pass Verstappen, the Red Bull driver evaded the Briton’s pass and ran wide. Hamilton could not judge that maneuver, and he struck Verstappen, damaging his front wing. But the damage to the Mercedes was slight, and Hamilton continued and finally overtook Verstappen, who was given a five-second penalty for not giving Hamilton his position back.
That’s when Verstappen knew the race was lost. Hamilton continued, passing Verstappen at turn 27, and then went on to take the 103rd win of his illustrious career.
Max Verstappen: A lot of things happened, which I don’t fully agree with, but it is what it is. I tried to give it my all. I don’t think the tires were lasting. I was lacking a bit of rubber at the end. Nevertheless, still second, I slowed down. I wanted to let him by. I was on the right, but he didn’t want to overtake, and we touched. I don’t understand what happened there.
Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris gave McLaren a double-points finish, taking fifth and tenth, respectively. Their Ferrari rivals, battling for third place alongside McLaren in the Constructor’s Championship, also received double points with Leclerc in seventh and Carlos Sainz Jr. in eighth. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly finished in sixth, while Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi, who will be in Formula E next season, had one of his best performances by finishing in ninth.
Next weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi will be the final event on the Formula One calendar, and with the top two drivers evenly matched, it will be one of the most exciting finishes in memory.
