Formula One has its latest rivalry. A week on from failing to finish the season opener, Max Verstappen carried out his threat to bring the title fight to Ferrari as he edged out Charles Leclerc for victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In Bahrain, the pair had given a hint of a potential new head-to-head as they battled it out for the lead from laps 17 to 19. In Jeddah, the exchange of the lead came at the business end of the race.
Verstappen eventually made his move stick down the main straight on lap 47 and, despite the best efforts of Leclerc, it was a lead the defending world champion held until the chequered flag.
Last season had been all about Verstappen against Lewis Hamilton but the seven-time world champion’s torrid weekend continued as he ended up in 10th come the finish.
Instead, all the early indications are that 2022 will prove to be a tussle for the title between Leclerc and Verstappen, rivals for much of their nascent careers from their karting days to the current Formula 1 world championship.
This was a race all the way to the chequered flag as Verstappen took victory from the narrowest of margins after a captivating 50 laps of racing that suggested the technical regulations masterminded by F1 have had the desired effect.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had taken a surprise first pole of his lengthy career and had the perfect start to pull well clear of both Ferraris. Crucially, Verstappen, starting in fourth, managed to force his way past Carlos Sainz to put him third and within touching distance of Leclerc.
The inaugural race in Saudi Arabia was defined by crashes and the safety car, so too the second running of a grand prix which had hung in the balance after a missile attack within miles of the circuit.
The drivers had initially voted unanimously not to race but were persuaded to perform a U-turn by both the F1 and Saudi authorities. Question marks remain about the future of this race in light of the safety concerns despite only being into year two of a 10-year deal to race in Saudi Arabia.
On the evidence of two races to date in Jeddah, it poses potentially the biggest challenge and risk for drivers. Mick Schumacher had already failed to make the start after his huge qualifying crash, so too Yuki Tsunoda after an issue with his car on the out-lap.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE LEAD!!
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And for the second day in succession, Nicholas Latifi found the barriers on lap 16 for the first deployment of the safety car.
That proved mostly costly to Perez, who had been cruising but dropped down to fourth having just pitted. That effectively paved the way for another Leclerc-Verstappen duel.
Again, the field was bunched up with a virtual safety car as Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo grounded to a halt. It blocked the pit lane and denied the likes of Hamilton a chance to pit.
Verstappen took the lead on lap 42 but Leclerc, with the use of DRS, took it straight back in echoes of Bahrain. Both locked up in another duel on the final corner on lap 43 before Verstappen finally passed three laps from the end.
In the end, only half-a-second separated the top two with Sainz eight seconds back in third and Perez two further seconds back in fourth.
While Hamilton snuck a point in 10th, George Russell overcame Mercedes’ issues for fifth in a race that featured just 13 finishers, with Alexander Albon and Valtteri Bottas the others to fail to make the finish.
