Jeddah (dpa) – Shortly after their tough duel in the risk race in Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc met for a conciliatory chat.
In a gripping duel on the final laps, the Formula 1 world champion in the Red Bull had previously shown his new title rival the limits. “It was a great race, we fought hard,” said Verstappen in Jeddah. After several attempts, the Dutchman squeezed past the long-leading Ferrari star and clinched his first win in the second race of the season.
Nevertheless, World Championship leader Leclerc enthused: “I absolutely enjoyed this race. It was tough but fair. That’s how it should always be.” Behind the Monegasque, who won the season opener in Bahrain, his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz finished third.
Hulkenberg remains pointless
One day after Mick Schumacher’s brutal crash, the World Championship race remained without any serious incidents, but delivered furious excitement at the end. After the Red Bulls’ double failure last week, Verstappen is back on track thanks to a nerve-racking performance. Teammate Sergio Perez, who started from pole position, finished fourth.
Nico Hülkenberg, the representative of the corona-infected Sebastian Vettel, finished twelfth in the Aston Martin without points again. Lewis Hamilton had to settle for tenth place in the again weakening Mercedes.
Debate about hosting intensified
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For Formula 1 it was a weekend full of worries. The impact of a rocket near the track had already led to lengthy discussions about hosting the Grand Prix on Friday. The attack by the Houthi rebels, against whom Saudi Arabia is at war in Yemen, intensified the debate over the race host. The kingdom has been criticized for human rights violations. “We firmly believe that what we do has a great positive influence,” said Formula 1 Managing Director Stefano Domenicali, defending his commitment to the World Championship race on the Red Sea.
Race without Schumacher and Tsunoda
The next moment of shock followed on Saturday in qualifying. Mick Schumacher lost control of his Haas and crashed into a wall at more than 250 kilometers per hour. The 23-year-old survived the frightening crash without any major injuries, but was withdrawn from the race by his team.
Because the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda also had to park his Alpha Tauri with a technical defect shortly before the start, only 18 pilots started the race. Perez was the first Mexican in history to take a pole position in Formula 1 and initially defended it confidently. Leclerc claimed second place with a little more effort. Ferrari teammate Sainz, on the other hand, had to let Verstappen pass after a few meters.
Ferrari and Red Bull at the top
As at the season opener in Bahrain, Ferrari and Red Bull showed that they currently have the strongest cars in the field. The quartet quickly managed to pull away at the top. Leader Perez was the first to get fresh tires – and was unlucky. Because Nicholas Latifi hit his Williams against the wall, the safety car had to be deployed. Leclerc and Verstappen saved time during their pit stop and got back on the track before Perez.
At the restart, the Mexican had to let Sainz pass without resistance because he had previously pushed him too hard at the pit exit. So both Red Bull drivers went back to chasing a Ferrari in front of them.
Exciting final phase – Verstappen wins
Several retirements due to technical defects then ensured a virtual safety car and an exciting final phase. After the race was approved, Verstappen drew close to Leclerc and squeezed past twice. But the Ferrari driver kept his nerve and regained first place.
The scenes were reminiscent of Bahrain a week earlier, when both had also dueled for rounds. Verstappen yelled frustrated into the radio, saw himself disadvantaged. But he didn’t give up – and was still successful at the next attempt. Leclerc tried to counter again. But Verstappen did not let the victory be taken away.