British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen is second. With one race to go, both drivers now have exactly the same number of points in the World Cup standings: 269.5. It was always a matter of switching between Verstappen and Hamilton on the new street circuit in Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen started from third position and took the lead several times, but after a race full of incidents he had to settle for second place behind seven-time world champion Hamilton. As a result, the battle for the World Cup title will be decided next week in Abu Dhabi.
The race was stopped twice. First after a crash by Mick Schumacher in the rear, which Max Verstappen was able to take advantage of. After the race was stopped, the Dutchman was given the opportunity to change his tires, while Hamilton and Bottas, who were ahead of him, had already done so through a pit stop that cost them time. The ‘free’ tire change allowed Verstappen to take the lead of the race to Hamilton’s dismay.
Also read: Verstappen against Hamilton: what determines which of them will win the world title?
crashes
It then took two restarts as Sergio Pérez, Nikita Mazepin and George Russell crashed and retired after the first restart. Verstappen lost the lead after that first restart and immediately made a dubious overtake against Hamilton. The Dutchman was punished for this and had to start from third position behind Ocon and Hamilton. But with a frantic start, he immediately regained the lead.
Then followed a striking incident in which Hamilton collided with Verstappen’s car. The Dutchman had been ordered by race management to let Hamilton pass after he made a mistake when overtaking the Brit. Verstappen was given a five-second time penalty for that incident and had to give up the lead to Hamilton. He did not hand it over to the Brit after that.
“It’s unbelievable what happened here today. This is not Formula 1 for me, too many penalties are handed out,” Verstappen said over the on-board radio afterwards. “Fortunately, the fans at least enjoyed it.”
Max Verstappen finished third in the final standings of the Formula 1 World Cup in the past two years and now has a good view of the world title with one race to go. The championship will be decided next week at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/verstappen-and-hamilton-exactly-equal-in-world-cup-position-after-chaotic-gp-saudi-arabia/
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