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F1’s maiden visit to Saudi Arabia provided a memorable and controversial race as title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled it out to gain an advantage going into the season finale at the Yas Marina.
The race weekend saw multiple broadcasts and visits to the stewards’ room, continuing the theme of the recent races of the latter half of the 2021 season. While F1’s newest and fastest street track proved thrilling in qualifying, the incident-packed race led to several crucial and controversial calls.
After a red flag and a subsequent restart, the title rivals saw themselves wheel-to-wheel approaching Turn 1. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas came very close to ending the Dutchman's title hopes as he had a lockup and barely missed rear-ending the Red Bull.
You can watch the video of the incident here:
Max Verstappen lost his place, owing to a good start from Lewis Hamilton, and his defense into Turn 1 where he missed the corner, was concerning. The 24-year-old seemed to be out of control, running a long way wide and cutting the corner, prompting Hamilton’s “crazy” radio call.
The rivalry reached a boiling point in the race, with Hamilton calling out the FIA for the irregular calls made against him. The Briton said:
“From my understanding, I know that I can’t overtake someone and go off track and then keep the position but I think that’s well known between all us drivers but it doesn’t apply to one of us, I guess.”
'F1 more about penalties than racing,' said Max Verstappen after Saudi race
In a race that saw plenty of drama, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed the spoils, beating Max Verstappen to the line. The Red Bull driver finished second in an ill-tempered race at the Jeddah street circuit which also featured two red flags. A five-second penalty, added to the Dutchman's race time for gaining an advantage by driving off the track, did not aid his chances in the race.
He was also summoned by the stewards for an alleged breach of the FIA International Sporting Code. The stewards were investigating an incident of his with Hamilton at Turn 27 when the Mercedes driver alleged that Verstappen brake-tested him. Despite being awarded 'Driver of the Day,' the Red Bull driver expressed his displeasure during the post-race interview, saying:
“Luckily the fans have a clear mind about racing because what happened today is unbelievable. I’m just trying to race and this sport these days is more about penalties than about racing. For me, this is not Formula 1 but at least the fans enjoyed it.”
