MAX VERSTAPPEN has beaten Charles Leclerc in a thrilling battle for victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
World champion Verstappen attempted to overtake Ferrari driver Leclerc twice but he locked up on the second attempt.
Then it was third time lucky as Verstappen used DRS to overtake his rival.
Lewis Hamilton is half way down the field after a superb surge up the field to sixth, before pitting.
- Result: 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
- Lewis Hamilton finishes 10th.
- Mick Schumacher pulls out of racing after his horror crash during qualifying.
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Follow all the action from Jeddah with our live blog below…
Gasly raced with “stabbing” pain
Pierre Gasly was checked out by medics after experiencing a “stabbing” pain mid-race in Jeddah.
He revealed in the media pen that he had seen a doctor after finishing in P8, but didn’t reveal what the prognosis was.
Gasly told Sky Sports: “The last 15 laps I’ve never had that much pain, I don’t know what happened in my intestine.
“The last 10 laps was like getting stabbed every left corner, the most painful laps I’ve had so I don’t know what’s happened.
“Anyway I’m just happy the race is over and happy we got these points.”
Max power
It’s VERY early days yet, but Max Verstappen was very impressive today.
Will he make it back-to-back world titles come the end of the campaign?
Credit: AFP Ricciardo remaining upbeat
Ever the optimist, Daniel Ricciardo didn’t have a bad word to say, despite retiring from the race early.
That followed a disappointing 14th place finish last week.
But the Aussie said: “I lost drive so it could be a number of things – maybe drive shaft if I was to guess but I’m no mechanic so don’t take my word for it!
“But yeah obviously I think we could have had a double points which is pretty awesome from where we were a week ago.
“And yeah, it was looking alright. I think there are some positives to take from the weekend for sure.
“So yeah we still have a lot to go but certainly some progress which was nice.”
Ferrari start 2022 with a bang
Ferrari follow up last week’s one-two finish with P2 and P3 today.
They promised they’d deliver a championship contending car this season, and despite it being early days in the calendar they are certainly delivering on that promise.
Credit: AFP Leclerc loving new rules
Ferrari driver and P2 in today’s race Charles Leclerc is loving the new regulations for the 2022 season, aimed to make overtaking easier and racing more exciting.
He exclaimed: “The new regulations are definitely working!
“And yeah I was just trying to do everything I could, I knew my weakness was the speed in the straights compared to the Red Bull, they were incredibly quick down the straights.
“It was fun. I mean I liked racing like this and it was actually much easier to follow than what I initially thought.”
Hamilton left puzzled by P10
Lewis Hamilton finished so far behind the leaders in the Saudi Arabian GP – he didn’t even know if he scored points for 10th place, as BEN HUNT reports.
The seven time world champion fears he will not be battling Max Verstappen and Charles Lecler for the title this season.
Instead he will be slugging it out with minnows Haas, who finished last in the championship in 2021 and only called up Kevin Magnussen at the 11th hour to replace axed Russian, Nikita Mazepin.
Hamilton was issued an apology by his race engineer as he crossed the finish line in Jeddah, he said: “OK Lewis, that’s P10. Sorry about that.”
Hamilton replied: “Is there even a point for that position?”
Next on the calendar
Formula One breaks for two weeks now after back-to-back GP’s to kick off the season.
And we’ll be heading down under for the next race.
Melbourne is the venue for the third GP of the campaign, with that one scheduled for Sunday, April 10.
Eggs in multiple baskets
Football legend Edgar Davids was trackside in Jeddah taking in the action.
And by the sounds of things he didn’t care who took the chequered flag.
When asked by Sky Sports who he was supporting, Davids says: “I’m supporting Ferrari, Max [Verstappen] and Lewis [Hamilton].”
Russell reacts to P5
It was another solid drive for George Russell today, who has impressed in his two races for Mercedes so far.
He says, speaking to Sky Sports: “It was quite an enjoyable race considering I was all by myself throughout. It was probably the most physical race I have experienced. I want to be doing this for victories, not P5.
“The car felt good, the balance was great. We were just lacking overall grip.
“It was a cool experience, I think all the drivers were pushed to the limit. We are making baby steps at the moment, we need to make some bigger leaps. I am sure we can, but timeline I don’t know.”
Lewis’ lowdown after Jeddah
Here’s what Lewis Hamilton has to say after today’s race.
The Brit doesn’t think much has changed with his car since Bahrain last week, with “lots of work” still to do to get it competing.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he says: “I don’t particularly feel like much has changed I think since the last race.
“It’s only been a few days, so what I know is I couldn’t keep up with the Haas at the end.
“The power they have, they came flying, sling-shotting past me when I overtook Magnussen earlier in the race so we’ve got a lot of work to do for sure.
“But I know we’ve got a great team and we’ll just keep our heads down and try to improve.”
Horner reacts to race win
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Max Verstappen’s “patience” after he overtook Charles Leclerc late on in Jeddah.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Horner says: “What a great race, an exciting last few laps and we just had enough to bring it home.
“It was a patient race for Max, he looked after his tyres. Such bad luck for Checo [Sergio Perez], The Safety Car was at the wrong time but you can’t do anything about that. He’s driven brilliantly all weekend, he’ll take a lot of confidence.”
Back on top
After his dramatic retirement last week, Max Verstappen is back on familiar ground today.
Credit: Getty Mutual respect
This is good to see.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen embrace after battling it out for victory in Jeddah.
Credit: Reuters Credit: AFP Sainz speaks after P3
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was pleased with his efforts, which saw him follow up second place in Bahrain with another podium today.
He said: “It was a close call with Checo [Sergio Perez]. I think he got a bit unlucky with the safety car but the rules are the rules. I was just ahead at the safety line, it was my position then. From then it was all about holding on to P3.
“The Red Bulls were super quick in the last 10 laps after the tyres cooled down, they were flying and putting pressure on us.
“For me this race was a bit of progress from Bahrain. I managed to find a bit more rhythm with the car. There are still some tenth to find but I think I will end up getting there.”
Runner-up Charles Leclerc reacts
Ferrari star Leclerc said: “Oh my god! I really enjoyed that race. It’s hard racing but fair.
“Every race should be like this. It was fun, I’m of course disappointed, we wanted to win today.”
Mentioning his respect for Verstappen, he added: “It’s always been there, especially when you finish a race like this.
“We’re on a street track, we’ve been pushing like I’ve rarely pushed before to the absolute limit, and we take risks at the end, so of course there is respect.”
Credit: AP
Max Verstappen responds to victory
Following his win, the Dutchman said: “It was really tough but a good race. We were battling hard at the front and we just tried to play the long game.
“They were really quick through the corners and we were really quick on the straight. The tyres were wearing our quite quickly around here.
“You could see at the end, we had a little bit more pace. It wasn’t easy but eventually managed to get ahead.
“I’m really happy that we’ve finally kick-started the season.”
Trio being investigated
Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen are all being investigated post-race for possibly going too fast under the sector 1 yellow flags during the final two laps.
Full standings
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
- Nico Hulkenberg, Aston Martin
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Verstappen wins breathtaking Saudi GP
Wow, what a victory that is for Red Bull. Max Verstappen stayed patient and just about managed to stay ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz has come in third, with Sergio Perez fourth, George Russell fifth.
Leclerc said on his radio: “Well done to Max. That was nice.”
Max Verstappen wins Saudi GP!
The Dutchman has just about held off the surging Charles Leclerc!
Wow! What a battle that was!
The duo will be joined on the podium by Carlos Sainz.
Lap 50 – Leclerc chasing
Charles Leclerc is still desperately chasing down Verstappen.
This could go down to the last corner!
Lap 49 – yellow flag
Max Verstappen is saved by a yellow flag after Albon collided with Stroll!
Leclerc will still have another attempt.
Stroll has called Albon an “idiot”.
Lap 48 – Verstappen stays ahead
Leclerc is really pushing, but Verstappen is still ahead with two laps to go!
We are all set for an exciting finish!
Lap 46 – Verstappen takes the lead
Max Verstappen has finally passed Charles Leclerc!
The Dutchman has shown uncharacteristic patience and gone by the Ferrari.
Leclerc will have three more laps to try and reclaim top spot!
Lap 45 – latest standings
Here’s how the standings look with just five laps remaining
1. Leclerc 2. Verstappen 3. Sainz 4. Perez 5. Russell 6. Ocon 7. Norris 8. Gasly 9. Magnussen 10. Hamilton 11. Stroll. 12. Albon 13. Zhou 14. Hulkenberg
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
