It was half past nine in the evening, local time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when this Formula 1 season, which was already rich in punchlines, was approaching its first climax. The first of so many punch lines that it would have been enough for a whole season. In a race when the duel between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen experienced the escalation that had been feared for many weeks and months. At the end of it, Hamilton won ahead of Verstappen. But shortly afterwards it was not yet clear whether the result will endure in this form or whether it will still be renegotiated. Both pilots had to report to the commissioners.
An hour had passed since the start of the race before the first bizarre scene. In these 60 minutes, however, the 20 cars only had 16 of 50 laps on the brand new one Jeddah Corniche Circuit brought behind. That was due to two stoppages in the race in combination with two race starts, which meant that the traffic on the Red Sea track was, let’s say, a bit sluggish.
But now the microphones of the race management and the teams from Mercedes and Red Bull were creaking. The dialogues that the audience heard live, they were more reminiscent of a medieval horse trade in the Bavarian hinterland than of a serious debate in the multi-million dollar Formula 1 “If you voluntarily take second place, there is no penalty,” said race director Michael Masi in the direction of Red Bull. Hmm, och, okay, said Red Bulls team manager Jonathan Wheatly. The following counter-proposal: “We’ll be there when Ocon is on pole.” Masi specified: “You have to go behind Hamilton!” And Wheatley replies: “Give us time to think it over.”
Time to think? As if penalties could always be negotiated with the race management during ongoing racing. For years to come, this curious moment will be remembered when one of the most exciting title fights in Formula 1 history in the penultimate Grand Prix of the season was for a short time more like a talk show with Pastor Jürgen Fliege (the older ones will remember), as a motorsport event for tough guys.
Verstappen is asked by the race management to let Hamilton pass – who the message probably even reached when overtaking
Shortly afterwards there was the third start. Verstappen won. What then followed, however, will ultimately lead to the horse trading being quickly forgotten. Because Verstappen, who had no chance to save his lead from the much faster Hamilton at the finish, now defended himself with several tough maneuvers. And after one it rumbled violently.
In one of the narrowest passages, Verstappen drove in the middle of the track and slowed down, Hamilton rushed into his rear. “It’s a brake test,” complains Hamilton. The camera caught Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, ripping his headphones off his head in anger in the command center and slamming them on the table. Hamilton’s front wing was in tatters. The crazy journey went on and on – as did the bizarre radio communication between the teams and race management.
The headphones were still on his head: Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
(Photo: Andrej Isakovic / AFP)
Apparently, Verstappen had been asked by the race management to let Hamilton pass. What you didn’t suspect: That Hamilton had apparently not yet received the message that he would be allowed to drive by. “I didn’t quite understand what happened,” said Hamilton later. “We didn’t know. Max knew it first. It may be that it was a total misunderstanding,” said Wolff, when he had calmed down again. Verstappen received a penalty of five seconds, on the third attempt he made way for Hamilton and then left him in front of him.
Because the seven-time world champion also turned the fastest lap in his car, which was disintegrating into its components under him, the opponents are now actually traveling to the season finale in Abu Dhabi with the same number of points. If the course of the 2021 season were the script of a screenwriter, his manuscript would have been sent home with a laugh.
What, if you go, was that crazy premiere on the route in Jeddah?
This tight stretch is a diabolical bond, we now know that. Charles Leclerc already experienced a violent crash on Friday. On Sunday, more objects flew on the coast of the Red Sea than Rose Monday in Düsseldorf in pre-pandemic times.
After Mick Schumacher rushes violently into the mighty gang, the safety car is deployed for the first time
Hamilton started ahead of his teammates Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen. The lights went out and the pilots at the front all managed to get off to a textbook start. So that textbook in which on page one is noted in bold letters: Just don’t risk an accident! In unchanged order, the top of the field rushed over the fresh asphalt, which was concreted into the desert by the Aachen architects Tilke in just eight months of work.
Charles Leclerc, who had pushed his Ferrari into fourth place between the Red Bulls, also maintained his position against Sergio Perez. “If everything goes well at the start and we get through the first corners fairly unscathed, things should look good for us,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff before the start. In fact, very soon things were looking very good for the Silver Arrows. After nine laps, Hamilton got serious and made the first lap as fast as an arrow. His gap to team-mate Bottas was already two and a half seconds. And Bottas did what he was supposed to do: he stopped Verstappen. Not for long, however.
Because shortly afterwards the safety car deployed for the first time after Mick Schumacher rushed violently into the mighty, multi-layer gang – at the same point where Leclerc had demolished his Ferrari on Friday. His bent and dented Haas stood on the narrow track after losing parts. Hamilton pitted, as did Bottas and Perez. Except for Verstappen, he drove on. And thus took over the lead for the first time.
Heavy impact: For Mick Schumacher, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ended early.
(Photo: Peter Fox / Getty Images)
Was that smart? Or a tactical mistake by Red Bull?
After four laps behind the safety car, it dawned on the race management that they would have to use heavy equipment to repair the gang. Late, but still. Red flag! Race stopped. The cars headed for their garages, the pilots climbed out of their cockpits. “Does that mean you can change tires?” Asked Hamilton his team. “Unfortunately Lewis, yes it does,” was the reply. And so Verstappen and Red Bull fought for the lead in the pit lane with a maneuver that was both courageous and happy. “It was a bit of a risk to stop, but we didn’t think there was a red flag,” said James Vowles, head of strategy, to his angry driver. That might be. However, it did not explain why they did not allow Bottas to speculate on a red flag at Mercedes.
Red flag! The next break in the race
It started again with a standing start. This time Hamilton was quicker than Verstappen and pushed past the first corner. Verstappen left the track and fought his way back outside. That was certainly not compliant with the rules. There was a crash further back: Leclerc touched Perez’s Red Bull, who drove into the gang and stood across. And Nikita Masepin also rammed his Haas into George Russell’s Williams. Again there were parts everywhere. Red flag! The next break in the race. And before the horse trading cited at the beginning of the radio started, Esteban Ocon had used all the turmoil to massively improve his position.
He started from the very beginning when the traffic lights went out for the third time: This time Verstappen started like lightning, pushed past Hamilton on the inside in accordance with the rules. Ocon had to take the run-off zone in the face of the duel between the World Cup candidates. After 20 of 50 laps, Verstappen was leading in front of Hamilton, Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo in the McLaren. When the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda caused the next incident and Sebastian Vettel turned, the race management (presumably for a change) called out a virtual safety car. Hamilton then still had 17 revolutions for his hunt for Verstappen. And then madness danced in Jeddah.