With few laps remaining in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the race leaders locked in a spectacular duel for victory on the streets of Jeddah at more than 300 km/h bordering on, even touching the walls.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen repeated their Bahrain fight for the lead, playing with the different DRS zones of the urban layout, which led to a battle to the checkered flag with the defending world champion winning the Saudi event.
It all started at the moment in which Fernando Alonso was forced to abandon due to a mechanical failure in his Alpine, since a yellow flag came out where the slow car was rolling, although it was with the retirement of Daniel Ricciardo that the race changed completely.
The drivers could not enter the pitlane, so they had to continue with the same tires, something that Verstappen took advantage of to approach Leclerc until he caught up with him, just like in Sakhir. Once behind the Ferrari, the Red Bull tried to make the same move as last season with Hamilton, braking before passing the line that marks the DRS detection point, however, the Monegasque thought the same, leaving a very strange image of the leaders almost standing on the track.
Leclerc kept the lead of the race, but a final attempt by Verstappen with three laps to go before the checkered flag gave him victory in Saudi Arabia. The youngest winner of a Formula 1 grand prix enjoyed DRS to overtake his main rival in Jeddah on the finish straight.
This is how Verstappen won his first victory of the 2022 season at the Grand Circus and the 21st of his career in Formula 1. After celebrating his new conquest at night, Leclerc congratulated the Dutchman, a gesture that honors him and that he will surely want to repeat but from the top of the podium at the next appointment in Australia in two weeks.
