JEDDAH: The eyes of the sporting world turned to Jeddah on Sunday as the inagural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix revved into action under the lights along Jeddah's Corniche coast.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the race from pole position after Saturday's qualifying session, while his world championship title rival Max Verstappen could only finish second, in what was a topsy-turvy contest.
The Dutchman had held an eight-point advantage over the British legend in the championship standings going into the race, but will now have to battle it out for glory in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
See how the action of the evening unfolded below. (All times AST)
22:45 - IT'S ALL OVER! Lewis Hamilton wins a dramatic, thrilling and at times crazy Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
22:20 - The two at the front touch - Verstappen and Hamilton are still running on the track but the Brit ran into the back of the Red Bull driver, and Verstappen had been told to give the position back to Hamilton before the collision.
21:55 - Just as we get going again, we end up with another yellow flag and a Virtual Safety Car after Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda hits the wall...
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21:40 - After some to-ing and fro-ing between the FIA race director and the teams, they have accepted the order of Esteban Ocon, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the restart...
21:20 - And it's another red flag, as multiple cars are involved in a crash at the restart...
21:15 - And due to the damage to the tyre wall, the red flag came out, which meant Verstappen who hadn't pitted took the lead of the race and will restart at 21:15 local time at the front of the pack...
20:50 - And we have a yellow flag on the course, Mick Schumacher has hit a wall. And tells the team over radio he is okay...
20:35 - GO! It's a great start for Lewis Hamitlon as Verstappen just didn't look like he was got the pace off the line, but he's coming back into it...and fast!
20:25 - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got a tour of the pitlane ahead of the national anthem ceremony and the start of the race.
20:10 - With concerns overnight about the gearbox of Max Verstappen, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, told Sky Sports: "It has passed all the tests we would normally do so we have to believe in our measurements and our tools. We have to go for it, Max has been driving beautifully, just a shame to not convert that (into a pole) but there is a lot of racing to be done."
19:50 - A nice moment on the track, as the drivers and teams take a moment of silence to honor the late Frank Williams, former principal of his namesake team and who had a long association with Saudi motorsport.
19:30 - With the race just an hour away, F1 fans from all over the world made their way to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit by the Red Sea for the Kingdom’s inaugural Grand Prix. Read more from the fans below...
18:45 - It was a dramatic F2 race, the event which is run before the Formula 1, as Enzo Fittipaldi and Theo Pourchaire have a huge collision on the starting grid. Both drivers were transferred to a local hospital concsious, and the race was run with half points being awarded.
17:30 - Fans are streaming in, and we still have three hours left until lights out. Teams are busy in the pitlane making last minute changes and fine tuning the cars before the big race.
15:45 - In case you missed it, Arab News spoke to Saudi trailblazing female racing driver Reema Juffali ahead of the race, see what she makes of Jeddah hosting Formula One and who she thinks will win below...
READ MORE
Formula One is transforming Jeddah, says Saudi trailblazer Reema Juffali. Click here for more.
15:00 - Saudi Arabia's sport minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was impressed with what he saw on Friday, and is looking forward to the big race today...
