Hamilton beat Verstappen in a dramatic and controversial first race in Jeddah to draw level on points with the Red Bull driver and♎ set up a championship showdown at Abu Dhabi next weekend. 

The championship contend💮ers clashed on several occasions during an incident-filled battle for victory, which Hamilton eventually came ꩵout on top of to claim his eighth win of the season. 

"For me, I really have to try and just keep my cool ou♏t there, which was really difficult to do,” Hamilt♛on said after the race. 

"I've raced a lot of drivers through my life. In 28 years, I've come across a lot of different characters. And th𓂃ere's a few at the top which are like, over the limit. Rules kind of don't apply or don't think of the rules.

✤"Today I was just trying to do my talking on track, keep my car between the white lines and do it the right way.”

Asked if Verstappe🌃n falls into the category he mentioned, Hamilton responde🗹d: “He’s over the limit, for sure.

"I've avoided collisions on so many occasions with the guy. I don't always mind being the guy that does that. Because you liv💦e to fight another day, which I obviously did.”

Hamilton said he did 🌃not understand why Verstappen was suddenly slowing on the run to Turn 27 when the pair’s most controversial clash 🅠happened because he “didn’t get the information”. 

Verstappen had been ordered to hand the position back to Hamilton but the M🌳ercedes driver ended up running into the back of his rival, causing damage to both cars. 

Hamilton claimed Ve𒁃rstappen h꧂ad tried to “brake-test” him at the time. 

Both have been sum🅠moned to the stewards over the incident and an alleged breach of F1’s sporting regulations. 

"I didn't get the 𒁏information, so I didn't really understand what was going🗹 on,” Hamilton explained. 

”All of a sud♈den he started backing up, and then kind of moving a little bit. I was like, is he trying to play some kind of crazy tactic? I don't know.

"But then all of a sudden the message started coming thro🍎ugh, just as he like braked, he hit the brakes so hard, and I nearly ꧒went completely up the back of him and took us both out.

"For him, it doesn't matter for him if we don't both finish. For me, we both need to f🔯inish. But it'll be interesting to see what ha𒅌ppens."