JEDDAH:Lewis Hamilton won a thrilling, topsy-turvy 蹤獲弝けn Grand Prix on Sunday after an epic battle with title rival Max Verstappen to ensurehistitle challenge remained alive going into the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
The victory for the British driver in an incident-heavy race means the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers are now level on points in the world championship standings ahead of the finale in the UAE.
Hamilton got off to a perfect start off the line, while Verstappen appeared to be struggling to get power down in the early stages. But the momentum shifted toward the Dutchman when Haas driver Mick Schumacher hit a barrier, which eventually red-flagged the session after an initial safety car.
Hamilton and hisMercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas were called into the pitsunder the safety car but Verstappen stayed out and took the lead of the race once the red flags waved, allowing him to pit and change tires still out in front.
On the restart, Hamilton retook the lead amid a close encounter with Verstappen, who the seven-time championclaimedforced him off the track.
Just a few laps later, there was another red flag afterSergio Perez, George Russell and Nikita Mazepin all collided at the rear of the field.
The battle between the two title hopefuls had heated up even more when Verstappen received a five-second penalty due to a controversial move onHamilton, who accusedthe Dutchman of brake-testing him.
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Race officialsdecided that Verstappens move was illegal, which after some negotiation between FIA race director and the teams put Alpines Esteban Ocon into the lead for the third start of the race, with Hamilton in second and Verstappen in third.
Verstappen then took the lead again with Hamilton following through, and tempers in the garages were fraying when they collided late in the race.
Bottas kept the pressure on a slowing Ocon and snatched the third and final podium spot on the final lapin what washis penultimate race for Mercedes.
Hamilton was full of praise for the efforts of his team after the race, while saying he did not understand why Verstappen had braked and that the incident was confusing.
Ive been racing a long time and that was incredibly tough, he said. I tried to be as sensible and tough as I could be and with all my experience just keeping the car on the track and staying clean.
It was difficult. We had all sorts of things thrown at us so Im just really proud of everyone and great with the crowd.
Red Bull have some raw pace, it was hard to overtake them, weve done an amazing job and Valtteri did a great job for the team and this is for all the guys and girls back in the factory.
It has been an amazing event I felt very welcome here and people have been lovely here. The track is phenomenal, very difficult physically and mentally but you would not want it any other way.
Verstappen was in a more philosophical mood, calling into question some of the decisions made by officials
It was quite eventful, alot of things happened, which I dont fully agree with, but it is what it is, he said.
I tried to give it my all, I dont think the tires were lasting, I was lacking a bit of rubber at the end, nevertheless, still second.
I slowed down, I wanted to let him by, I was on the right but he didnt want to overtake and we touched. I dont really understand what happened there.
It will be decided (at Abu Dhabi),hopefully we have a good weekend.
