Hamilton wins chaotic Saudi Arabian GP to tie Verstappen for points lead

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was victorious over Red Bull's Max Verstappen during a hectic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday to tie his rival in the driver standings.

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas stole third place from Alpine's Esteban Ocon during an exciting finish.

The race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit featured multiple crashes, driver exits, red flags, standing restarts, and virtual safety cars, as well as a heated moment between Hamilton and Verstappen on Lap 37 when the Mercedes driver slammed into the back of the latter's car.

Hamilton wound up making contact with Verstappen when the Red Bull driver slowed suddenly after he was instructed to let the Mercedes driver pass because of a move he made earlier to gain lead position. Verstappen received a costly five-second penalty.

After reviewing the incident, FIA stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty and two penalty points on his license, according to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson.

Hamilton was also summoned to stewards.

"It was eventful, a lot of things happened that I don't fully agree with but it is what it is," Verstappen said after the race. "I slowed down, I wanted to let him by, I was on the right but he didn't want to overtake and we touched. I don't really understand what happened there."

Verstappen showed his frustration with the decision by not sticking around to enjoy his second-place finish during the podium celebration. Instead, the Dutch driver stormed off the stage.

Hamilton and Verstappen enter the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi atop the driver standings with 369.5 points apiece.