JEDDAH: Lewis Hamilton won a crazy, twice-halted Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to go level on points with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and set up a winner-takes-all title showdown.

On a chaotic night in Jeddah, the first race in the Gulf kingdom took almost as many twists and turns as an already astonishing and enthralling rollercoaster season — and also left a bitter aftertaste.

There were crashes and collisions, safety cars, red flags, and claims of dirty driving after seven-time world champion Hamilton hit the back of Verstappen’s suddenly slowing car on the super-fast Corniche street circuit.

Extraordinary, at times angry, radio exchanges between the race director Michael Masi and the top two teams filled the airwaves.

With a bonus point for fastest lap, Hamilton moved alongside Verstappen at the top of the standings with 369.5 points after 21 races.

Verstappen, who finished second with Valtteri Bottas third for Mercedes, leads 9-8 on wins, however — meaning that the Dutch 24-year-old will be champion if neither he nor Hamilton scores another point.

Mercedes extended their lead in the constructors’ championship to 28 points and a record eighth successive title looking likely.

The final race is in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

“Of course it’s exciting,” said Verstappen, who won last year in Abu Dhabi. “We’re starting again like we started the season.”

Hamilton’s win in the heat and humidity of Jeddah saw him pass Verstappen with six laps remaining of a chaotic race, as the pair tangled again this season following high-octane crashes at the British GP and the Italian GP.

“It was clear that others around were willing to take it to all sorts of levels to overtake,” Hamilton said after the race, with Verstappen sat right next to him. “We’ve seen multiple incidents this year.”

Hamilton is in no mood to back down with the finish in sight, but Verstappen has drawn out the street fighter in him.

The safety car made its first appearance on lap 10 when Mick Schumacher spun on Turn 22 and slammed his Haas into the wall.

Hamilton pitted immediately to switch tyres with Bottas following a lap later while Verstappen stayed out to take the race lead. Red Bull’s gamble looked to have paid off when the race was red-flagged shortly after in order for repairs to be done on the crash barriers.

That handed Verstappen a ‘free’ pitstop and allowed him to begin from the front when the race restarted, ahead of Hamilton and Bottas.

When the race resumed, Hamilton slipped past Verstappen who then barged his way around the outside, going off the track, to regain the advantage.

Behind them Sergio Perez was clipped by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, causing the Red Bull to spin off.

That in turn triggered a domino effect with George Russell (Williams) and Nikita Mazepin (Haas) also going off.

The stewards decided that Verstappen’s manouevre was illegal and promoted Alpine’s Esteban Ocon — who finished fourth after being pipped by Bottas at the end — to pole for the third start of the race, with Hamilton in second and Verstappen in third.

It was the Dutchman who was quickest out of the blocks, blasting past the other two on the opening corner and setting the world championship title in his sights.

Hamilton soon breezed past Ocon and was breathing down Verstappen’s neck.

On lap 36 he attempted to overtake but in a move evocative of their tussle in Brazil, Verstappen cut across Hamilton to keep the lead. Verstappen was ordered to give the place back but as he braked Hamilton ran into the back of him damaging his front wing.

When the Dutchman was again instructed to make way, he pulled over to let Hamilton pass and then immediately retook the lead. A lap later Hamilton slipped past again to move back in front and this time, with Verstappen also hit by the five-second penalty, he was able to lead all the way to the chequered flag.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth for McLaren, ahead of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Leclerc. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was eighth, with Antonio Giovinazzi ninth for Alfa Romeo and Lando Norris 10th for McLaren.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2021