The penultimate Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season did not disappoint.
There was drama from start to finish during the inaugural race at the New Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ultimately, however, Lewis Hamilton’s experience revealed he passed his big rival Max Verstappen on lap 43 to win and remarkably reach the point level with the Dutchman ahead of the final race of the season.
It was one of the most exciting races of the year with drama throughout the show.
One clash, however, came out of the rest and that’s when Hamilton accused Verstappen of “testing him on the brakes” towards the end of the race.
Verstappen’s side told him to give Hamilton the position but, with the Mercedes on the verge of passing, he slowed down before being hit by his title challenger.
Hamilton called him “crazy” on the radio and Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff got annoyed by throwing his headphones to the ground.
And the two drivers have now opened up about the incident, with differing opinions on what happened.
“It was pretty hectic,” Verstappen said.
“There’s a lot going on that I don’t quite agree with but that’s how I tried on the right track to give it my all. However, I was still second.
Asked about the incident with Hamilton, he said: “I slowed down, I wanted to let him pass, I was on the right but he didn’t want to overtake and then we touched. I don’t really understand what happened there.
“I’ve been racing for a long time but it was incredibly difficult,” said Hamilton.
“I tried to be as reasonable and tough as possible with all my racing experience, keeping the car on track and staying out of the way, and it was difficult.
“We got all kinds of stuff thrown at us and I’m really proud of everyone.”
Hamilton’s opinion of the tie-up with Verstappen differed from that of his rival, with the British pilot adding: moved on and I got a message afterwards saying he was going to let me through, so it was a bit confusing.