Verstappen Wins Saudi Arabian Grand Prix After Intense Battle With Leclerc

Max Verstappen took victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after a dramatic fight for the lead with Charles Leclerc at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. 

From the start, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari were positioned for a battle at the front, with Sergio Pérez on pole followed by Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr and Max Verstappen. The race start allowed Pérez to pull away early and take control of the race, and Verstappen to pass by Sainz within the first turns of the opening lap. Amazingly it was a relatively clean start, the grid didn’t see much shuffling. 

Just behind the leading teams, BWT Alpine F1 Team’s drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso found themselves in a battle for sixth position. Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer was in no hurry to stop them from racing each other, making for some of the race’s most exciting wheel-to-wheel action. With Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen close behind, the midfield pack brought the excitement in the opening phase of the race. 

Lewis Hamilton, who started a lowly fifteenth, was up to eleventh by the twelfth lap. One of only a couple of drivers to start on Pirelli’s hard compound, Hamilton looked to recover to the points with a unique strategy that saw him pit only once, very late in the race. 

Guanyu Zhou received a five-second time penalty for cutting a corner during an early battle with Alex Albon, and later a second penalty for failing to serve the initial penalty properly. 

By lap sixteen, the leading drivers were looking to make their first stops for fresh tyres. Ferrari called Leclerc into the pits, and Red Bull responded by bringing in Pérez. Leclerc, however, didn’t go in on that particular lap, perhaps to draw Red Bull into pitting Pérez early. This put the Mexican at a disadvantage when, soon after, Nicholas Latifi crashed at Turn 27, which brought out the safety car. With the majority of the grid taking advantage of the safety car and diving into the pits, Leclerc also made his stop under the safety car and took the lead off of Pérez, who dropped back as a result of his misfortune. 

During the safety car period, Pérez had a safety car infringement as on Sainz’s pit exit, he overtook the Ferrari in a close call. Sainz was just ahead at the safety car line. Pérez gave the position back after the restart, settling in fourth and avoiding further action from the stewards.

The middle of the race saw several more battles for the points positions, as this circuit saw many overtakes and consequent reclamation of the position through the high-speed sections. Hamilton and Magnussen, two drivers that hadn’t pitted during the safety car, had one such battle that put Hamilton ahead and into sixth. 

Lap thirty-six was a dramatic one, as reliability issues began to crop up. Both Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo crawled around the track in an attempt to return to the pits, both drivers came to a stop on pit-entry. Moments later Bottas retired from the race too.

As a result, the virtual safety car was brought out, to allow Ricciardo’s and Alonso’s cars to be pushed forwards into a safe position. Magnussen incredibly pitted before the pit-lane closed, Hamilton however was unable to make his stop during the opportune time. He made his one and only stop on lap forty-one just after the green flag was waved. 

As the race ramped back up, all eyes were on the battle at the front. Verstappen was chasing down Leclerc and reached DRS range soon after the VSC was lifted, and made an overtake for the lead on lap forty-two. This was short lived, however, as Leclerc retook the position on lap 43. Both drivers incredibly almost grinded to a halt, in a bid to get the DRS for the pit-straight. This leapfrogging continued, as Verstappen took the lead again on lap forty-seven. This move stuck, but the battle was still on. 

A yellow flag was brought out on lap forty-nine, as Lance Stroll and Albon had a collision. The battle for the lead continued, however, with Leclerc chasing Verstappen down until the very end. Ultimately, Verstappen held onto the lead by just half a second. 

Sainz took the final podium position, followed by Pérez. George Russell, who had a consistent race, crossed the line in fifth. Ocon filled in sixth after an exciting race across the line with Lando Norris, who came less than a tenth behind the Alpine in seventh. Pierre Gasly, Magnussen and Hamilton completed the rest of the top ten. Zhou, Nico Hülkenberg and Stroll finished eleventh through thirteenth, respectively.

Only thirteen drivers completed the race, with Albon unable to finish as a result of the contact with Stroll, Latifi’s crash and a number of reliability issues. Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda were both unable to race, with the aftermath of Schumacher’s startling Qualifying crash and Tsunoda suffering an issue with his engine on his way to the grid. 

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix brought battles that left fans at the edge of their seats, continued reliability issues for particular teams and the prospect of an exciting fight between Red Bull and Ferrari, who are solidifying themselves as the season’s front-runners.

2022 Saudi Arabian GP Race Results: