00:00Five times the championship lead has changed this season, what will happen now as it's lights out and away we
00:06go, Bottas gets a decent start, as does Hamilton, Verstappen can't dive down the inside, Leclerc's keeping him company as
00:12Hamilton takes the lead into the first corner from Valtteri Bottas, there's Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc going wheel to
00:19wheel as they go round turn two, but it's Hamilton for Bottas and Verstappen and the Ferrari of Leclerc, then
00:24comes Perez and behind them Lando Norris ahead of Pierre Gasly.
00:28Perez got oh so close to running into the back of his teammate Max Verstappen, had a lock-up, was
00:34desperate to try to get around the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, didn't make that happen but he would have been
00:40terrified as he was heading towards the back of the sister Red Bull there.
00:44That is Mick Schumacher into the barrier at the infamous now turn 21-22 complex, we saw Charles Leclerc there
00:54in practice, Mick Schumacher has gone into the barriers now, we've got our first safety car of the evening.
01:01Are you okay Mick? Are you okay?
01:04Yeah, I'm okay.
01:06Yeah, it's very like Charles Leclerc, isn't it? In the back end stepped out on the way into 22, and
01:12I'm afraid you're straight into a cul-de-sac at that point and you can see how well it absorbed
01:17it all.
01:19Valtteri's running massively off the pace.
01:22I agree, it's a b****, absolutely b****.
01:25That shouldn't be allowed, what he does.
01:27Right, so the...
01:28It's not allowed, it's absolutely not allowed under the regulations, you can't do that.
01:32And he's doing that to allow Mercedes the chance for the double stack.
01:36Verstappen stays out and takes the lead of this race.
01:40Hamilton and Bottas pit.
01:42Are Red Bull gambling here on another safety car where Verstappen could come in and get a cheap pit stop
01:48again but hold on to the lead?
01:50Or could they get caught out?
01:52We'll only find out at the end of lap 50.
01:55And they're now red flagging the race and this is now played very much into Red Bull and Max Verstappen's
02:01hands because the one thing you can do when the race is suspended and it's red flagged, when you return
02:07to the pit lane, you can make your tyre change.
02:12It's lights out and away we go again and Verstappen and Hamilton are going to be neck and neck going
02:17into turn one and Hamilton's got a better start.
02:19And Hamilton goes into the first corner as Bottas locks up, almost hits Verstappen who goes off the track and
02:24then forces Hamilton wide as Esteban Ocon gets ahead of Lewis Hamilton and goes into second place.
02:30And that's Sergio Perez who's been tagged and there's another incident involving George Russell and it's Russell up against the
02:37barriers.
02:38So Verstappen in the lead from Esteban Ocon and then comes Lewis Hamilton but they're going to talk about that
02:44start again and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a second safety car.
02:48Because that was chaos at the start.
02:51Perez gets a bit squeezed and gets tagged from behind, yes he does.
02:57Yeah, three into two doesn't go.
03:00Critical for the Constructors Championship as well.
03:03Very much so.
03:04Oh no.
03:07I'm going to give you the opportunity based on what occurred at turn one two.
03:12We would drop you back behind Hamilton.
03:15That is my offer.
03:16Yeah, we'll accept that.
03:18We understand the order will be Ocon, Hamilton, Verstappen.
03:21That is correct.
03:23As the lights on, lights out and away we go.
03:28And Ocon ahead of Hamilton but not by much.
03:31Verstappen's going to go down the inside.
03:32There's three of them at Hamilton and Ocon touch.
03:35But they keep going and Verstappen now ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
03:39He picked his moment.
03:40He picked the right moment.
03:42And Verstappen takes the lead of the race ahead of Ocon and Hamilton.
03:46As down the main straight we come.
03:48And Lewis Hamilton pulls out to the left-hand side and gets past Esteban Ocon.
03:51He had the pace.
03:52That was easy.
03:53His next overtake, if it happens, might be a whole different ball game.
03:59He'll get the DRS here.
04:01And Lewis and...
04:02And he's got the slipstream too, Martin.
04:04And he is gaining and he is gaining and he is gaining on Max Verstappen.
04:07He's going to go for the move here.
04:08Lewis Hamilton trying to get into the lead of the race.
04:11They go wheel to wheel.
04:12Into the first corner.
04:13Verstappen has to bail out.
04:14Lewis Hamilton has to bail out.
04:16Verstappen ends that sequence with a bigger lead over Lewis Hamilton.
04:21Max doesn't like to yield, does he?
04:23He'll use any part of the racetrack.
04:25That's crazy now.
04:28Max, so let's give the position back to Hamilton.
04:30Obviously, do that strategically.
04:32Oh, they've touched!
04:33And they've collided!
04:34Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
04:37How much damage on Hamilton's Mercedes?
04:40What has happened there?
04:41Verstappen being told to give the place back to Lewis Hamilton.
04:45Slowed down on the straight.
04:46Hamilton ran into the back of the Red Bull.
04:50Just what is going on here in Jeddah tonight?
04:54Max left a lot of space to the inside.
04:57But then he accelerated immediately away from it again, didn't he?
05:02I think it was just a misunderstanding.
05:05I think it was a misunderstanding, frankly.
05:07Well, here comes Valtteri Bottas.
05:08There's no misunderstanding about his pace.
05:10He's trying to get past Daniel Ricciardo.
05:12And into turn one, manages to keep the car under control.
05:16Right, so we're on board with Hamilton and Verstappen clearly slowing down.
05:20This is the DRS zone.
05:22And Max Verstappen, after letting Lewis pass,
05:25now goes for a lunge down the inside
05:27and retakes the lead of the race.
05:31So he let Hamilton pass.
05:32Hamilton scooted past.
05:34And Max Verstappen has a five-second time penalty
05:38for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
05:42So he might have the lead of this race,
05:44but he's got a five-second time penalty.
05:46And this is the first time that the stewards' room itself
05:49has got involved to give an official penalty.
05:53Hamilton and Verstappen going for it again
05:56and going for it again at turn 27.
05:58And Hamilton has now got past Verstappen.
06:01Lap 43 of this race,
06:03Hamilton now leads from Max Verstappen.
06:07Hamilton is going to give us level pegging in the championship
06:10as he comes home to win the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
06:16It's Hamilton and Mercedes on top.
06:19It's Hamilton and Verstappen finishing 1-2
06:22and sharing the top two places for the 13th time this season.
06:27But can now Esteban Ocon hang on to Valtteri Bottas
06:31and come home and complete that podium trio.
06:34He's got a little bit of DRS assistance to help his pace.
06:38They are racing to the line
06:39and Bottas has got Esteban Ocon right at the line.
06:43And by a tenth of a second,
06:46Mercedes get both their drivers on the podium.
06:49It is now the 30th title decider
06:52and the final race of the season,
06:55the fourth in Abu Dhabi.
06:56It is only seven days away.
06:58What a night tonight.
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