F1: Lewis Hamilton pulls level

Jeddah, December 6

Lewis Hamilton won a crazy, twice-halted Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to go level on points with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and set up a winner-takes-all title showdown.

On a chaotic night in Jeddah, the first race in the Gulf kingdom took almost as many twists and turns as an already astonishing and enthralling rollercoaster season — and also left a bitter aftertaste. There were crashes and collisions, safety cars, red flags, and claims of dirty driving after seven-time world champion Hamilton hit the back of Verstappen’s suddenly slowing car on the Corniche street circuit.

Extraordinary, at times angry, radio exchanges between the race director Michael Masi and the top-two teams filled the airwaves. With a bonus point for fastest lap, Hamilton moved alongside Verstappen. — Reuters