saudi

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was won by Max Verstappen, who battled Charles Leclerc all the way to the end.

The Red Bull driver passed the Ferrari with four laps to go after the two had clashed during the race.

The battle was often farce as the two slowed down to try to work the DRS to their advantage.

Verstappen made the decisive move and won it by a small margin.

The two were in a league of their own out front, with Sainz and Perez taking third and fourth.

George Russell finished fifth for Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton finished tenth.

Verstappen
Verstappen took his first win of the season and 21st career victory

How Verstappen come out on top?

It already feels like this year could be a two-horse race with Leclerc replacing Hamilton as Verstappen's main rival.

Leclerc moved to the front after it appeared that Red Bull was tricked into making a pit stop with Perez, who started from pole.

The plan was for Ferrari to run longer and make ground with what they believed was Leclerc's extra pace.

After Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams and brought out the safety car on the next lap, Leclerc, Verstappen, Sainz and Perez were dropped down to the fourth place.

The restart was nailed by Leclerc and he retained the lead. Verstappen trailed him for a long time, but Leclerc appeared to be able to hold him off.

The race was changed by a virtual safety car period with 12 laps to go, as a result of a bizarre sequence of events as first Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren and then Fernando Alonso's Alpine ground to a halt in the entry to the pit lane.

On the restart, Verstappen was on Leclerc's tail and the driver of the car couldn't shake him.

At first, Leclerc tried the same tactics that won him the first race of the season, letting Verstappen pass him at the end of one DRS overtaking zone, so he could have the boost from the DRS aid down the pit straight into.

The fastest lap was set by Leclerc after he tried to break away from the Red Bull.

Verstappen came back at him. At the end of lap 45, Leclerc made an error and lost time.

They were again together into the final corner on the following lap.

Verstappen rounded it on Leclerc's tail, an oversteer snap slowed the Ferrari's exit, and the DRS overtaking aid did the rest, Verstappen moving past down the straight with the final pass of the race.

More to come.