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WATCH: Saudi Arabian GP thriller final lap as Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc by just 0.5s

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were the championship contenders in the 2022 season. The battle reached its peak at the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP.

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Venkatakrishnan
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Max vs Charles Jeddah 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Max vs Charles Jeddah 2022 Photograph: (Instagram)

The 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a thriller where Max Verstappen and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc battled for the championship. Red Bull and Ferrari were the title contenders, and Charles is the lead man for the Maranello team. The Moegaque driver entered the race as the championship leader and was topping all three sessions of the race weekend. He was clearly ahead of Max Verstappen and his teammate Carlos Sainz. But in qualifying, he missed out as Red Bull driver Sergio Perez clinched pole.

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Also Read: Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix winners list: Max Verstappen is the king of Saudi Arabia

Watch: Thriller in Jeddah between Max & Charles

Sergio Perez started as the leader for almost 14 laps until the safety car. The battle started on lap 42, Max Verstappen opened the DRS to pass Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver was covering his outside line and but Max was too fast and got past him. 

In lap 43, Charles took the lead back from Max and again in lap 47, Verstappen came back stronger and took the lead. In the final laps, Charles was charging at Max for the lead, and the Dutch driver was holding the steering wheel straight, wanting the chequered flag to come soon. 

It eventually did, and Max Verstappen won his first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by beating Charles Leclerc by just 0.5s. The next year he missed out to his teammate Sergio Perez, and in the 2024 season he was back at Jeddah as the winner. The 2022 season Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was very difficult to organise, as just before the race weekend, a nearby oil depot was attacked by Houthi rebels. The first practice session was completely covered with black smoke. 

Many F1 drivers called off the race, fearing safety, but the F1 and FIA carried on with the race. There were rumours that drivers had no choice but to race as the country refused to give them exit visas in case of a race boycott. Let us see how his year's race goes in Jeddah. 

Also watch: F1 legend Sebastian Vettel racing against women in Jeddah

Formula 1 Max Verstappen Charles Leclerc F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix