The defending champion grabbed the spoils by just half a second after a DRS-enhanced slipstreaming dice with Leclerc in the second half of the contest on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, after the Ferrari racer tried again to tactically out manoeuvre Verstappen on track.
But the Dutch racer held on for victory as Ferrari scored a double podium, Carlos Sainz Jr completing the rostrum while an ill-timed pitstop dropped polesitter Sergio Perez to fourth.
