2022 F1 Saudi Arabia GP: What does the Drivers' Championship look like after the Saudi Arabian GP?

Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc to take the win in the closing stages of the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Since the Dutchman failed to score any points in the season opener in Bahrain, however, what does the drivers' championship look like?

The sport returned to Jeddah for the second edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fought it out for a chance at the title. Unlike last year, however, Charles Leclerc is leading the drivers' championship heading into the third race of the season, with Carlos Sainz following in P2. Leclerc won the season opener in Bahrain and placed P2 in Jeddah (with the fastest lap), giving him a total of 45 points to Sainz's 33.

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen failed to score any points in Bahrain, putting him on the backfoot against the Ferrari drivers. Having won in Jeddah, however, the driver is now third in the championship with 25.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes cars are having a disappointing start to the season, with both drivers failing to challenge the top two teams. George Russell has a total of 22 points while Lewis Hamilton has only 16.

Here's the F1 2022 drivers' championship as it currently stands:

1. Charles Leclerc - 45
2. Carlos Sainz - 33
3. Max Verstappen - 25
4. George Russell - 22
5. Lewis Hamilton - 16
6. Esteban Ocon - 14
7. Sergio Perez - 12
8. Kevin Magnussen - 12
9. Valtteri Bottas - 8
10. Lando Norris - 6
11. Yuki Tsunoda - 4
12. Pierre Gasly - 4
13. Fernando Alonso - 2
14. Zhou Guanyu - 1
15. Mick Schumacher - 0
16. Lance Stroll - 0
17. Nico Hulkenberg - 0
18. Alex Albon - 0
19. Daniel Ricciardo - 0
20. Nicholas Latifi - 0

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Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen battled hard at 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen pipped Charles Leclerc to take the win at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman secured his first win of the season despite starting fourth on the grid.

In a similar vein to Bahrain's epic duel between the two drivers, Verstappen and Leclerc battled hard in Jeddah, swapping places throughout the race. Just like 2021's race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, DRS played an important role in aiding overtaking. As a result, the two drivers engaged in a strategic game of high-speed chess, encouraging the other to get past on the final corner of the circuit.

While this tactic worked for the Ferrari driver in Bahrain, this time Max Verstappen emerged victorious after cheekily letting Leclerc past in the final corner. Only time will tell which of the two F1 stars will emerge victorious in the coming months.

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Also Check Out: F1 2022 Results