Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Max Verstappen bounced back from his Bahrain retirement to win a chaotic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, claiming his first victory of the season after a thrilling battle with Charles Leclerc on Jeddah's high-speed street circuit. The race featured multiple safety cars, red flags, and dramatic on-track battles, with Verstappen ultimately prevailing by just 0.549 seconds in one of the most entertaining races of the season.

The race was interrupted twice by red flags, first when Mick Schumacher crashed heavily at Turn 12, and later when Nicholas Latifi hit the barriers. Each restart produced spectacular racing, with Verstappen and Leclerc trading positions multiple times in wheel-to-wheel combat through Jeddah's blind corners and high-speed kinks. The Ferrari driver set the fastest lap and pushed Verstappen all the way to the flag, but the Red Bull's superior straight-line speed proved decisive on the final lap. Carlos Sainz completed the podium in third place, giving Ferrari two cars in the top three despite the defeat.

Sergio Perez started from pole position but failed to capitalize, ultimately retiring from the race after contact damaged his car. The result allowed Verstappen to cut Leclerc's championship lead to just one point and demonstrated that Red Bull had resolved their reliability gremlins from Bahrain. The race also highlighted the competitiveness of the new regulations, with the lead changing hands multiple times and genuine wheel-to-wheel racing at one of F1's fastest circuits.