Saudi Arabian GP: Lewis Hamilton beats Max Verstappen to keep F1 Championship hopes alive

Reigning Formula One world champion and Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton beat his rival Max Verstappen in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen would have clinched his maiden world championsip title had he won the race.

However, he was stalled by Hamilton, who is eyeing his 8th world title. After Sunday's result, both drivers are level on points at 369.5 and the title race will see a final showdown at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit, which is the last race of this incredible season.

Hamilton passed his Red Bull rival with six laps remaining in the dramatic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 30-kilometre street circuit will definitely be counted as one of the most memorable races of this season. The race witnessed three standing starts, a pair of restarts, multiple safety cars, virutal safety cars and an intense back-and-forth between the title contenders including a late collision.

Red Bull were allowed to negotiate a penalty for Verstappen while Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff was seen slamming his headset in a fit of rage. As the race continued, Hamilton drove into the back of his title rival before ultimately passing Verstappen for the win.

After the race, the current world champion questioned as to why Verstappen hit his breaks in a sudden manner, that led to Hamilton running into the back of Red Bull. Hamilton also opined that Max Verstappen "is over the limit for sure". In addition, he also remarked that he has avoided colliding on many occassions.

“It was clear that others around were willing to take it to all sorts of levels to overtake,” Hamilton said after the race, with Verstappen sat right next to him. “We’ve seen multiple incidents this year.” he added 

However, Verstappen was of a different view and spoke out about the penalities given to him. He also spoke about some of the decisions that were made by the F1 stewards this year. “What happened today is unbelievable,” he said.

“I’m just trying to race. This sport is more about penalties than racing. So for me this is not Formula One but at least the fans enjoyed it.” said Max Verstappen.

With yet another stellar victory in Jeddah, Hamilton has no plans to back down now as the world championship is within his reach yet again. If the Brit wins another world title, he will surpass Michael Schumacher to stand alone on top of other F1 greats.

However, Verstappen too seems to be in no mood to give up as he eyes his first world title. In Sunday's race, he was penalised for going off course on the second restart, and was later told to yield position to Hamilton. That is when Hamilton ran into his back, leading to a damage in the front wing of his Mercedes.

“Not just this race (but) in general, lately, (it's) the trend in F1. That’s not how I grew up watching Formula One,” said Verstappen about the some decision by the Stewards this season.

Max Verstappen penalised for causing Hamilton collison

Max Verstappen was penalised by the F1 stewards after they found him at fault and for causing a collision with his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton. The stewards found out that the collision occured due to his "erratic braking". Therefore, the Red Bull driver was handed a 10-second time penalty after the race, which still keeps him in second place. The stewards also expressed that both drivers could have done more. However, they concluded that Verstappen was "predominantly at fault". 

"The stewards heard from the driver of Car 33, the driver of Car 44 and team representatives, reviewed the video and telemetry evidence and determined that the driver of Car 33 was predominantly at fault," the statement read.

With AP inputs