Leclerc loses battle to Verstappen: "Pushed like I've rarely pushed before"

Charles Leclerc lost out to Max Verstappen in a late battle for victory in the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Only half-a-second separated the two rivals in what seems like a battle that could last the full season. The Ferrari driver retains his World Championship lead with P2 in Jeddah and reflected on what were intense final laps to the race. 

Battle for DRS

Both drivers wanted DRS going down the home straight and this caused a battle at the activation point. On the first occasion, Leclerc let Verstappen through as he did in Bahrain to get him going into the next braking zone. Second time around, Verstappen learnt his lesson and this caused a lock-up. Eventually, Verstappen got the better of his rival. 

"It was, but not enough. Oh my god, I really enjoyed that race. Hard race but fair. I wanted to win today, we had two configurations with Max and Checo, we were quick in the corners and slow in the straight with more downforce. He did a great job. It's always been there. Especially when you finish a race like this on a street track pushing like I've rarely pushed before on the limit. A bit disappointed," Leclerc said in the post-race interviews. 

Leclerc retains his World Championship lead despite Verstappen's win as he finished pointless in Bahrain.