RACE START REPLAY: Hamilton and Bottas enjoy perfect getaway in Jeddah as Verstappen holds P3

The first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has gotten under way beneath the floodlights at the spectacular Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas enjoying an ideal getaway to hold off the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen could win the title in Jeddah if he outscores Hamilton by 18 points. But it wasn’t the start to the race he’d have wanted, as the Mercedes flew in formation to hold onto P1 and P2, with Verstappen maintaining P3 – and coming within a whisker of being rear-ended by the RB16B of his team mate Sergio Perez.

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Behind, meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda squeezed Esteban Ocon into the wall, Tsunoda coming off worse as he dropped from P8 to P12, as Ocon climbed from P9 to P7.

Watch the replay of the race start in the video above.