Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after an enticing battle with Charles Leclerc. However, many expected Sergio Perez who started on pole to win the race after an impressive start. The safety car and Ferrari’s clever bait meant Perez, unfortunately, finished 4th behind Carlos Sainz. The Mexican was left frustrated with the result after a promising start.

During the early part of the race, Perez was comfortable on course to maintain his position and potentially win the third race of his F1 career. So, Ferrari and Leclerc played their hands in lap 15 as they called the Monegasque driver to the pits in order to undercut him.

Max Verstappen Credits Strategical DRS Battle for the F1 Victory at Jeddah

Hence, Red Bull called in the Mexican, but to his surprise, Leclerc’s Ferrari did not follow him to the pits. The bluff could not have been better timed and planned. And misery continued for Red Bull as Nicholas Latifi hit the barriers in the following lap. As a result, the introduction of the safety car gave Leclerc a tremendous advantage to pit. The Ferrari driver gave his thoughts on the pit-stop strategy after the race.

Charles Leclerc reacts to the dummy pit-stop

In the post-race interview, Charles Leclerc admitted that they indeed intended the dummy pit stop call to bait Red Bull and Perez. The Ferrari driver smiled smugly when he mentioned the bluff. He said, “We did everything right as a team. Strategy, pit stop, the dummy call on Checo at the beginning.”

Nicholas Latifi’s crash was an unfortunate event for Perez as he dropped to fourth after the safety car ended. Meanwhile, Ferrari would have been happy with their strategy but lacked the straight-line pace. As a result, Verstappen came out on top after a nail-biting overtake on Leclerc.

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The Monegasque driver admitted he enjoyed the battle with Verstappen. He expressed his disappointment and revealed that Red Bull dominated the straights. He conveyed, “Although I’m disappointed to lose the victory so late in the race, it feels good to be fighting for wins again. Whenever I had a bit of margin to Max (Verstappen), I could manage the race well. But after the Virtual Safety Car, as soon as he got in the DRS range, it became difficult. “

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Ferrari have certainly started the season with a bang. They are looking like the team to beat in 2022. However, in Red Bull they have a challenge in their hands. Can Leclerc and Co overcome the mighty Red Bull? It remains to be seen.