Hamilton preva🃏iled to a potentially crucial eighth victory of the season in the wildest grand prix in years as the title fight got dirty on and off the track, with Hamilton and Verstappen coming to blows on multiple occasions. 

The race featured two full safety cars, two red ꦓflag periods and two standing restarts, and no fewer than four Virtual Safety Cars in a dramatic first race in Jeddah that lasted more than two hours. 

The major flashpoint of the race came in the closing stages as Hamilton hunted down Verstappen in a relent💯less battle for🍃 the lead.

Hamilton had unsuccessfully tried to pass Verstappen around the outside at Turn 1 on Lap 37 as the pair made light contact, with Verstappen skipping over thꦓe run-off and extending his lead. 

Bizarre and dramatic scenes followed as Hamilton ran into the back of Verstappen as the Red Bull driver appeared to be re-handing the position back to Hamilton at 🔯Turn 27. 

Verst🎀appen did then hand the lead back at the final corner on Lap 42, only to immediately repass Hamilton. 

Despite suffering front wing damage, Hamilton lunged past Verstap﷽pen at the final corner to retake the lead with seven laps to go, forcing his rival wide in the process. 

Verstappen struggled with tyre life and fell back in the final la𒁃ps as he settled for second despite picking up a five-second time p🐻enalty for gaining an unfair advantage in his battle with Hamilton at the start of Lap 37. 

Th༺e key incident between Verstapﷺpen and Hamilton is under investigation. 

Hamilton’s victory puts him level on points with Verstappen heading into next weekend’s season finale in𓆉 Abu Dhabi, setting up a thrilling winner-takes-all showdown. 

Behind the squabbling title cont𝕴enders, Valtteri Bottas pipped Alpine’s Esteban Ocon to snatch the final spot on the podium in a dramatic d🅷rag race to the line. 

A long way back in fifth was McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, who held ൲off Pi𓄧erre Gasly and the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. 

In what could be his pe🦄nultimate F1 race, Antonio Giovinazzi scored points for Alfa Romeo in ninth, with Lando ✱Norris completing the top-10 order for McLaren. 

Chaos in stop-start opening stint 

Mercedes maintained a comfortable 1-2 at the start befor🌟e the race was interrupted by a red flag just 10 laps when Mick Schumacher suffered a hefty crash at Turn 22.

Verstappen profited from Mercedes’ decision to pit both Hamilton and Bottas under the initial Safety Car after Red Bull gamb🉐led on staying out, before the red flag was flown, enabling Verstappen to retain track position and change his tyres for the standing restart. 

There was controversy at the standing restart when Hamilton got the better launch to jump Verstappen, only for t🐬he Dutchman to reclaim the lead off track as he swept around the outside at Turn 1. 

As he rejoined the track, Hamilton was forced wide, allowing Ocon to sneak past into second.&nb🍃sp;

Racing only lasted a few seconds more b⭕efore further chaos ensued with three cars eliminated on the spot. 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was tagged into a spin by Leclerc꧒ while further 🌟behind Nikita Mazepin rear-ended George Russell’s Williams in a scary high-speed incident. 

Tha🌌t caused the𒁃 second safety car, which quickly turned into another red flag. 

What followed was unc𓄧harted territory for F1, as FIA race director Michael Masi intervened to make an offer to Red Bull to put Verstappen back behind Hamilton and Esteban Ocon to third on the grid. After some deliberation, Red Bull accepted. 

Verstappen once aga🐓in switched tyres under the red flag period and used the extra traction of his mediums to launch a brilliant, daring lunge on Hamilton into Turn 1. 

Verstappen got the position and quickly passed O🌟con for the lead, before Hamiඣlton swept by the Alpine driver at the start of the following lap to set up the two championship protagonist’s late showdown for the win.