Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2022 results: Verstappen edges out Leclerc in thrilling duel

Will Savage

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Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2022 results: Verstappen edges out Leclerc in thrilling duel image

It was a thrilling race in Jeddah as Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc battled for the win, pushing each other right to the end in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, but it was the reigning world champion who emerged triumphant.

Verstappen left it late to snatch the lead but held off Leclerc's late pressure to take the chequered flag and get his title defence up and running in 2022.

Lewis Hamilton managed to get a point on the board after coming 10th.

Polesitter Sergio Perez started well, getting ahead of the two Ferraris, before Sainz was forced wide to open the gap for Verstappen to move into third. Perez led Leclerc until the pit window opened. Ferrari looked like they were preparing for the undercut when Perez entered the pitlane, and Leclerc stayed out.

Almost immediately after, Nicholas Latifi lost control and ended up in the barrier, bringing out a safety car. Leclerc and Verstappen pitted for new tyres, and managed to come out ahead of Perez, and from then on that was the front two, with Leclerc leading for most of the race.

MORE: The huge 2022 F1 rule changes explained

The Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon spent the first half of the race wheel to wheel. It was exciting stuff for the neutral, but it allowed the likes of Valtteri Bottas to catch up and take advantage. Hamilton, who had been steadily gaining places for most of the race, got past Magnussen and up into 6th.

The pack spread out again before a host of failures in quick succession. Alonso, who spent much of the race in attack mode, got past Kevin Magnussen, but he lost drive moments later with some kind of cooling problem and had to limp around the track. Bottas pulled into the pits and his car was retired while Daniel Ricciardo coasted to a stop just in front of the pit-lane entry, joined moments later by Alonso's Alpine.

Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg pitted under the yellow flag, but the timing didn't work for Hamilton, who was still on the hard tyres with which he started the race. The pit lane closed with a virtual safety car. Once racing was back underway, Verstappen was parked on Leclerc's rear wing and, despite smart driving from the Monegasque, it seemed like it would be a matter of time before Verstappen made the move stick.

The Dutch driver made hard work of it, repeatedly attacking too early and giving Leclerc DRS on the main straight, but eventually Verstappen was patient enough. He made sure Leclerc was in front as they passed the detector, and the combination of DRS and the superior power of the Red Bull/Honda engine was too much for Leclerc to hold off.

With just a couple of laps left, that was more or less the race. Leclerc mounted an attack of his own but he had only a few laps to make it stick. Contact between Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll meant yellow flags and a reprieve for Verstappen as the Ferrari driver attacked once more and, although Leclerc battled right to the last second, Verstappen just held on for his first win of the season.

Recap the action from the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix below, with Sporting News delivering live coverage from Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix results

Position Driver Team Points
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 25
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 19
3 Carlos Sainz Mercedes 15
4 Sergio Perez Mercedes 12
5 George Russell Haas 10
6 Esteban Ocon Alfa Romeo 8
7 Lando Norris Alpine 6
8 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 4
9 Kevin Magnussen Alpine 2
10 Lewis Hamilton Alfa Romeo 1
11 Zhou Guanyu Haas 0
12 Nico Hulkenberg Aston Martin 0
13 Lance Stroll Williams 0
DNF Alexander Albon McLaren 0
DNF Valtteri Bottas McLaren 0
DNF Fernando Alonso Williams 0
DNF Daniel Ricciardo Aston Martin 0
DNF Nicholas Latifi Red Bull 0
DNF Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 0
DNS Mick Schumacher Haas 0

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix as it happened

All Times Eastern

2:31 p.m.: Verstappen holds on, right at the death, and they're racing all the way down the grid as Ocon is pushed right to the line by Norris.

2:30 p.m.: MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE SAUDI ARABIA GRAND PRIX!

2:28 p.m.: Verstappen holds into the last lap. If Leclerc is going to win, he needs to make it stick heading into the last corner.

2:27 p.m.: Leclerc is on the attack, only half a second behind Verstappen onto the main straight, but yellow flags mean a reprieve for the Red Bull, after contact between Stroll and Albon. Lap 49/50 now.

2:25 p.m.: We're in to lap 48/50 and Verstappen holds Leclerc off on the main straight. Even with DRS, it remains to be seen whether the Ferrari will have enough power to trouble the Red Bull.

2:24 p.m.: Hamilton is past Stroll and back into the points. Perez in 4th is closing in on Sainz. Verstappen finally shows enough patience to wait to attack, and gets DRS on the final straight. With the sheer advantage in power, he passes Leclerc with ease. A few laps left, now it's the Ferrari on the attack.

2:21 p.m.: Hamilton is past Albon, but Stroll fends him off as they go wheel to wheel into the first two corners. Leclerc still has the lead.

2:19 p.m.: Verstappen once again reports Leclerc for crossing the pit lane entry line. Both cars locked up into the final corner, as both drivers wanted to have DRS on the straight. Verstappen had DRS but his lock up was worse, and Leclerc got clear of him on the straight.

2:17 p.m.: The front two trade places. Verstappen takes 1st into the final turn and he gets past, but that gives Leclerc DRS on the final straight and he just manages to get back in front of the Red Bull. Meanwhile, Perez sets the fastest lap of the race.

2:15 p.m.: The virtual safety car is cleared and green flags are waving. Lap 41/50, Hamilton is in the pits. It's a bit of a slow stop but he's back out. He looks like he'll be out in 12th, behind Kevin Magnussen, but he's armed with a new set of medium tyres. Verstappen's gap on Leclerc is much closer now, and if Red Bull's plan is to attack towards the end of the race, this could be their opportunity.

2:12 p.m.: Hamilton is now the only driver who hasn't pitted. The call to pit came moments after he had passed the pit-lane entry. His advantage over Ocon means he has time to stop and not lose his place, if the virtual safety car remains.

2:09 p.m.: It's a virtual safety car, but they take a while to activate it. Magnussen pitted before the virtual safety car activated. Hulkenberg also pitted, although the virtual safety car may have been activate by then. Alonso has also lost drive, and has also stopped at the pit entry.

2:06 p.m.: It seems like an overheating problem for the Alpine, as Alonso struggles back to the pits. Moments later, Ricciardo coasts to a stop just in front of pit entry. He has no power. Meanwhile, Bottas isn't pitting, he's retiring.

2:05 p.m.: Alonso manages to get past Magnussen on the main straight, benefitting from both DRS and the slipstream of the Haas. Bottas pits. Alonso, after making that move, is limping round the track, and has lost half a dozen places.

2:01 p.m.: Red Bull seem to be setting themselves up to attack towards the end of the race. Leclerc is maintaining a gap of about one and a half seconds on Verstappen.

1:58 p.m.: Bottas has spent the last few laps closing in on the back of Fernando Alonso's car, but he's not been able to get past the Alpine yet.

1:54 p.m.: Hulkenberg has dropped a few places, down to 13th as he's passed by both McLarens in recent laps. Zhou gets a drive-through penalty for failing to serve a five-second penalty earlier. He pitted, but the front jack wasn't working, and the team was so focused on finding a new jack they forgot to serve the penalty, it seems. Hulkenberg loses another place, this time to Gasly.

1:50 p.m.: Verstappen reports that Leclerc crosses the white line at pit entry, something you should only do if you're committing to entering the pit lane. Leclerc stayed out. Whether he crossed it or simply touched it is up for debate.

1:47 p.m.: Hamilton learns from his mistake. He doesn't attack on the final corner, and uses DRS on the straight to make a lunge on the inside. This time he makes it stick, and he's ahead of Magnussen.

1:46 p.m.: Hamilton gets past Magnussen into the final corner, but Magnussen gets DRS to take the position back down the straight.

1:44 p.m.: Charles Leclerc leads by a second now as the pack starts to spread a little.

1:40 p.m.: We're back underway! Leclerc gets away well but Verstappen sticks to him, Sainz is up to 3rd without any defence from Perez while Russell moves up to 5th.

1:38 p.m. The safety car is coming in. Sainz is unhappy that Perez hasn't yet been forced to give the position back.

1:36 p.m.: As Sainz left the pits, he was forced wide by Perez, who didn't want to give up position. Sainz was ahead as they crossed the safety car line, and it's being investigated by the stewards. We're on lap 19, still under the safety car.

1:33 p.m.: Magnussen and Hamilton are up to 6th and 7th. Having started on hard tyres, they haven't pitted for a new set. A JCB is on track, and Latifi's Williams is almost removed.

1:31 p.m.: Yellow flags and a virtual safety car as Latifi ends up in the barrier. A nightmare for Perez, who loses a load of time as the rest of the field pit. The safety car is out now. Leclerc and Verstappen both pit and get fresh, hard tyres, and stay ahead of Perez. Leclerc has the lead, Verstappen 2nd, Perez 3rd.

1:30 p.m.: Sergio Perez pits on Lap 16. Ferrari were considering the undercut with Leclerc, but with Perez pitting the Ferrari stays out. Perez pulls out into a crowd, while Leclerc is in clear air.

1:26 p.m.: Ocon is told to hold his position, but all that fight with his teammate has allowed Bottas to catch up, and with DRS open he gets ahead of Ocon and up to 7th.

1:23 p.m.: Another overtake from Hamilton, overtaking Norris on the inside, on the entrance to the hairpin. Meanwhile, the Alpines are at each other once again. Alonso is ahead, for now.

1:19 p.m.: Despite being on the hard true, Hamilton is up to 12th. Daniel Ricciardo is the first driver to pit. Leclerc is told on his team radio that they have better tyre degradation than the Red Bulls.

1:16 p.m.: Alonso makes it stick, DRS open he passes his teammate on the outside. Ocon tries to fight back into the first corner but Alonso held his line perfectly to force Ocon to back out. At the front of the race, the top three of Perez, Leclerc, and Verstappen are pulling away from Sainz. Ocon goes on the attack to retake 6th place from Alonso, but Ocon goes far too deep and takes 6th by cutting the corner. While the Alpines have been fighting with each other, Bottas has caught up with them. Alonso gets ahead of Ocon, who doesn't offer much resistance, but Ocon will come again.

1:12 p.m.: Lewis Hamilton is complaining about a lack of grip on his tyre. He's on the hard compound. Alonso has to pull out of a move, he tries to attack a gap on the inside of his teammate on the main straight, but Ocon closes the door, and Alonso has to pull out to avoid ending up in the wall. He has another go on the next lap, but Ocon holds him off for now.

1:08 p.m.: A poor start from Guanyu Zhou has seen him drop from 12th to 17th. Valtteri Bottas had a poor start in Bahrain, and Zhou mentioned on the radio that "it's the same problem again." Russell takes Ocon on the inside of the final corner before the main straight, he's up to 5th.

1:06 p.m.: A great start from Sergio Perez, who keeps first place and begins to build a gap. A good start from Max Verstappen sees him gets ahead of Sainz and split the Ferraris. Hamilton is up to 14th, while Gasly has dropped 2 places since lights out.

1:04 p.m.: IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

1:03 p.m.: Hamilton will make his 180th start for Mercedes, breaking the previous record for the most start one driver has had for a single constructor. He takes his time to join the back of the gird. The cars are lined up.

1:00 p.m.: With no Schumacher, or Tsunoda, we're two cars down for the start of the race. It's a drivetrain issue that keeps Tsunoda out, as the 18 cars make their way round on the formation lap.

12:52 p.m.: Less than ten minutes to go now. The Red Bulls have the straight line speed, but the Ferraris have the edges in the slaloming, medium speed corners. To add to the unpredictability, this is one of the tightest circuits on the calendar, where even the slightest misjudgement can put a driver in the wall.

12:47 p.m.: The drivers have lined up on the grid, and head back to their cars. Toto Wolff has described Lewis Hamilton's poor qualifying performance as "a setup experiment gone wrong". It's an understatement, to say the least. A poor race result for Hamilton will be real downer for Mercedes ahead of the two week break before Australia.

12:32 p.m.: Yuki Tsunoda loses power on the way to the grid. He's had ignition problems already, and he's told to jump out. It looks like the Japanese driver won't be racing today. That won't ease any of the nerves there are about this Red Bull/Honda power unit.

12:26 p.m.: It's a big night for Sergio Perez, who managed the first pole position of his career yesterday. Christian Horner called it the perfect lap. He might need a few more of those over the next few hours. The Red Bull boss suggests that their car might be better suited to race conditions than it was to qualifying.

All Times Eastern

What time does the F1 race start today? 

  • Date: Sunday, March 27
  • Start time: 1pm ET (8pm local time)

How to watch Formula 1 in the United States

  • TV channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ABC
  • Live stream: FuboTV

For US-based viewers, every race in the 2022 Formula 1 season will be available on ESPN's family of networks. Check the schedule below for details.

For those who choose to live stream, FuboTV carries ESPN, and also offers a free trial.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

  • TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
  • Live stream: TSN Direct

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English telecast of races. For those looking for the French broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can also be streamed via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

  • TV channel: Sky Sports F1
  • Live stream: NOW TV

Viewers located in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

  • TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
  • Live stream: Kayo

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Saudi Arabia GP on Channel 10.  

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix qualifying results 

Grid Position Driver Team
1. Sergio Perez Red Bull
2. Charles Leclerc Ferrari
3. Carlos Sainz Ferrari
4. Max Verstappen Red Bull
5. Esteban Ocon Alpine
6. George Russell Mercedes
7. Fernando Alonso Alpine
8. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo
9. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri
10. Kevin Magnussen Haas
11. Lando Norris McLaren
12. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren
13. Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo
14. Lance Stroll Aston Martin
15. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
16. Alex Albon Williams
17. Nico Hulkenberg Aston Martin
18. Nicholas Latifi Williams
19. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri
DNS Mick Schumacher Haas

Will Savage