'Verstappen played the same game with Leclerc as he did with Hamilton in 2021'

This season the title battle seems to revolve around Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The latter has a twenty point lead over the Red Bull Racing driver after Saudi Arabia, but on the track there is no sign of that yet. They are constantly trying to pass each other, without hitting each other. They already know each other from karting and so have a lot of mutual respect for each other which is reflected on the track.

In Bahrain, Leclerc was ultimately the smartest of the two drivers, by cleverly using the DRS. On three occasions Verstappen passed Leclerc at the first corner, but each time the Ferrari driver was able to pass him again with DRS at the fourth corner. At the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it seemed at first a copy of that action in Bahrain. 

Verstappen learns from Bahrain

Verstappen passed him in the final corner, but Leclerc then got DRS to pass him again towards the first corner. The next time was different, however, as Verstappen applied the brakes in order to get DRS towards the first corner. This is also what Mark Hughes sees, as the F1 journalist explains at The Race. "Verstappen dived for the inside, but was determined not to get to the DRS line first."

"Much the same game he played here with Hamilton last year and actually locked up in his eagerness to stay behind". Hughes sees that Verstappen eventually learned from both actions. On lap 47, the Dutchman managed to get past the Ferrari driver, then successfully defended against Leclerc.