Lewis Hamilton Wins Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; Heads Into Final Race Tied With Max Verstappen

(Photo : GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) Winner Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) reacts with his trophy flanked by second-placed Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (L) during the podium ceremony after the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah on December 5, 2021.

Lewis Hamilton grabbed one of his greatest race victories on Sunday, winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in dramatic fashion over title rival Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion pulled off the victory despite a series of contentious clashes with Verstappen to draw level with the Red Bull driver ahead of the season's final race this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes dreamed of a 1-2 finish for Hamilton and Bottas after they locked out the front row in Saturday's qualifying. They got off to a dream start in Sunday's race, holding on to their positions and keeping Verstappen in third place.

Verstappen grabs lead after Schumacher crash

However, the chaos started on Lap 10 when Haas driver Mick Schumacher crashed his car at Turn 22. With the safety car deployed, Mercedes decided to send Hamilton and Bottas to their first pit stops, which was the wise move. Red Bull did not replicate Mercedes' move as they chose to keep Verstappen on the race track and hold on to P1.

That decision proved to be a tactical masterstroke as the race was stopped shortly after to repair the barriers that the Haas car damaged. Verstappen benefited immensely with this red flag period as he was able to change his tyres and maintain his lead in the race, much to the dismay of the Mercedes camp.

Hamilton managed to go ahead of Verstappen at the standing restart, but the Dutchman was able to pass the Briton again by going off the track. Hamilton tumbled down to third because of that move, with Alpine's Esteban Ocon jumping into second place. There were two more crashes behind them, though, stopping the race once again.

Verstappen's move to keep Hamilton at bay was deemed illegal by race director Michael Masi, and he negotiated with the Red Bull camp to cede the Dutchman's place to Hamilton in the next restart. Red Bull followed Masi's directive and agreed to put Verstappen in third behind Ocon and Hamilton.

Red Bull decided to fit Verstappen's car with medium tyres. He put those into good use at the last restart, overtaking Ocon and Hamilton with a daring pass down the inside to grab the lead again.

Hamilton grabs win after controversial collision with Verstappen

A moment of controversy occurred again on Lap 37 when Hamilton tried to pass Verstappen in the first corner. Hamilton briefly grabbed the advantage, but the Dutchman refused to cede his place with both drivers going off track as a result. Masi told Red Bull that Verstappen must hand the lead back to Hamilton.

More chaos ensued following that order, with Verstappen and Hamilton colliding after the former braked hard in front of the latter's Mercedes. That damaged Hamilton's front wing, with stewards later handing Verstappen a 10-second penalty because of that incident.

Hamilton managed to overtake Verstappen for good six laps later. Even with the damage to his car, he pulled away late to grab a sensational win for Mercedes.