The chaos unfolded even before the event began, as Lance Stroll spun out during the formation lap. This led to confusion over the start procedure, with some cars leaving the grid while others stayed put. As a result, Norris, Russell, Tsunoda, and Lawson will be investigated for a start procedure infringement after the race.
Once the Grand Prix started, Russell had a strong start and followed Norris, while Verstappen made his way through the pack early on. The changing rainfall levels led to a red flag on Lap 32 after a crash involving Franco Colapinto. This happened just after Russell and Norris pitted, causing them to lose out.
Esteban Ocon led when the race resumed, with Verstappen and Gasly behind him. Verstappen eventually took the lead and dominated the race, winning by a margin of 19.477 seconds.
Alpine had a successful day, with Ocon and Gasly finishing in second and third respectively, securing a double podium and moving from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings.
Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, followed by Leclerc in Ferrari. Norris came in sixth, losing ground to Verstappen in the championship standings. Tsunoda finished seventh after Piastri was penalized for a collision with Lawson, dropping him to eighth.
Hamilto earned the final point for Mercedes, holding off Perez. Bearman finished 12th for Haas after a challenging race.
Sainz and Colapinto retired due to crashes, while Hulkenberg received a black flag for receiving assistance from marshals. Stroll and Albon were unable to start the race due to incidents in earlier sessions.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director at Pirelli, shared his insights on the event.
