Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021
No, the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix did not witness the crowning of a new F1 champion. Instead, the 2021 title will be decided in the very last race of the season.
Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton made sure of that as he won a dramatic and incident-packed Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to pull level with leader Max Verstappen on points.
Like they have since the start of the season, the two title contenders went on another classic duel in Jeddah as they had a number of contentious and controversial incidents while jockeying for the lead.
But despite the relentless – and some might even say reckless and dangerous – driving from Verstappen, Hamilton kept his cool and did enough to hold off the hungry Red Bull’s challenge, ensuring a dramatic end to the Formula 1 season.
Read on below as SBOTOP recaps all the highs and lows of the exciting roller-coaster ride that was the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Highlights of the game
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 betting odds were already looking good for Hamilton heading into the weekend, and they got even better after qualifying when championship leader Verstappen crashed on the final corner to hand Hamilton pole position.
The Red Bull had to settle for third on the grid, with Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas sandwiched in between the two title hopefuls.
And when the race finally began, all three frontrunners got out of the gates without much incident. Hamilton steadily built up a 3-second lead on Verstappen after the first 10 laps.
But then, Mick Schumacher suffered a big crash, which sent out the safety car. While the two Mercedes drivers dove immediately into the pits, Verstappen stayed out and took over the race lead.
After a few laps behind the safety car, though, the red flag came out, which sent all cars to the pitlane. That gave leader Verstappen the big advantage to pit and change tyres.
The race finally got back underway following the lengthy suspension, and Hamilton quickly reclaimed the advantage by overtaking Verstappen, though the Red Bull battled back and retook the lead.
But not too long after the restart, another car crashed out – this time, Nikita Mazepin – which resulted in another red flag being waved.
As the race restarted yet again, it was Esteban Ocon on pole ahead of both Hamilton and Verstappen, who had to give back his place after veering off the track while overtaking Hamilton.
However, Verstappen quickly made his move to overtake both Ocon and Hamilton to reclaim the race lead. The Red Bull held onto the lead amid two virtual safety cars, but Hamilton slowly but surely chipped away at that lead.
Hamilton attempted to overtake on lap 36, but after a slight coming together, Verstappen emerged with a larger lead.
Then, just a few laps later, the two touch yet again. After being instructed to give the place back to Hamilton, Verstappen slowed down in the middle of the track, which led to Hamilton hitting the back of the Red Bull’s car and damaging his front wing in the process.
That still wasn’t the end of the drama, though. After letting Hamilton pass, Verstappen immediately overtook Hamilton again, only for Hamilton to retake the lead on the very next lap.
That was not good for the Red Bull driver, especially since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 news came out that he was hit with a penalty for leaving the track in a previous clash with Hamilton.
But Hamilton made sure that penalty would be a nonfactor as he raced away from Verstappen in the last few laps – despite the damage to the front wing of his car – to claim the chequered flag in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Key statistics
Despite getting hit with a 10-second penalty after the race, Verstappen still finished second. That, coupled with Hamilton’s win, means the top two drivers are now tied at 369.5 apiece in the drivers’ championship standings.
Hamilton’s victory in Jeddah is his third in a row. It is also the 31st different track that he has won on in his glittering career.
This will be just the second time in F1 history where the drivers’ championship will be tied heading into the last race; the first happened in 1974, when Emerson Fittipaldi topped Clay Regazzoni.
What’s next?
It’s off to Abu Dhabi next week as Verstappen and Hamilton duel one more time for the 2021 F1 world championship.
Hamilton should have the advantage heading into this season finale/title decider. Not only does he have the momentum of three-straight wins on his side, but he also has a history of dominance in Abu Dhabi. He has won on the track five times in his career, the most by any driver.
Although, Verstappen did come out on top in last year’s race, and as he showed in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he is willing pull out all the stops to win his first career world championship.
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