F1 2021: Drama At The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix As Hamilton Wins Chaotic Race

Image Courtesy- Mercedes F1/ Twitter

The first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix came to a chaotic conclusion as Lewis Hamilton recorded his third straight victory of this season. Max Verstappen finished in the second position while Valtari Bottas finished in third to complete the double podium finish for the Mercedes team.

 The title race has heated up and is going to conclude at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on 12th December. Hamilton is now level on points with his rival Verstappen as Formula One’s thrilling championship race heads into the title-deciding finale. Both the drivers are level on points having 369.5 points. However, Verstappen has an edge over Hamilton as he has won more races than the British driver this season. Finnish driver Bottas is in third place with 268 points. 

The race took place under the lights on the coastal resort area in Jeddah as the 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) race track witnessed one of the most memorable races in the last couple of seasons. The race saw three standing starts, a pair of restarts, multiple safety cars, and an intense back-and-forth between the title contenders.

The Mercedes driver attempted to get past the Dutchman on the main straight on Lap 36 but the Dutchman braked too late for comfort, running wide at Turn 2 and retaining the lead. There was a moment of confusion between the drivers on Lap 37 as Verstappen 

was instructed to give P1 back but the Red Bull driver slowed – only for Hamilton to get caught off guard and bump into the rear of his rival, taking front-right wing damage. The Dutchman pushed Hamilton wide on Lap 42 but this time the stewards stepped in and put a five-second time penalty on the championship leader. Hamilton eventually took the lead and finished the race in the first place.

The Drivers Championship is coming to a similar conclusion as it did in 2008 where Felipe Massa of Ferrari lost the championship by a single point to Hamilton of then McLaren Mercedes.