After failing to match George Russell in the uneventful sprint, Lando Norris more than made up for this in the race proper. After outpacing Russell to pole position, Norris retained the lead off the initial start. A first-lap red flag reset the order, and Norris subsequently lost the lead to Kimi Antonelli at the restart. However, the reigning champion’s pace was obvious and, after a blistering middle stint on the hard tyres, he retook the lead from Antonelli with a brilliantly timed move at turn one on lap 54. The decision not to pit under a late virtual safety car looked to have jeopardised Norris’ chances of victory. However, the McLaren driver had pace and rubber needed to maintain a level lead and came home 11.5s clear of the field. He may be 83 points off the championship lead, but there's little denying the rich vein of form Norris is currently in.
On the other side of the McLaren aisle, Oscar Piastri had a race to forget. Starting on the hards, Piastri lost out to Leclerc and later suffered a slow pitstop. Pace was hard to find on the hards, as Piastri was unable to contend with the Ferraris. He eventually finished sixth, 32.2s behind his teammate. Piastri later admitted to not capitalising on the MCL40’s race pace. Having secured just 12 points over the last two weekends, Piastri will be left in desperate need of some answers going forward.
Unexpectedly thrust into the second Red Bull seat after Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury, Liam Lawson was able to avenge his disastrous two-race spell with the team at the start of last season. After failing to secure points in the sprint, Lawson secured a valiant eighth in qualifying, avoided the first-lap chaos and had a steady run to seventh, a place he kept despite a ten-second penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags. With Hadjar having done a decent job so far this season, Arvid Lindblad nested down at RB and Red Bull junior Nikolai Tsolov waiting in the wings, Lawson’s future has looked anything but certain. A full-time return to the senior team is unlikely, but with this performance, Lawson has put in a compelling case for a possible signing elsewhere.
Max Verstappen bid farewell to his home grand prix in arguably the worst possible fashion. The four-time world champion hit a damp patch, lost control and crashed out at the final corner on lap one. This incident marks the first time Verstappen has crashed out on his own due to an unforced error since Monaco 2016. Maximising the package available to him in qualifying and the sprint were the only points of solace. Having won here on three previous occasions and secured a further two podiums, Verstappen will have no shortage of fond memories to look back on, regardless of this weekend.
He may have missed out on a seventh win of the season but given Mercedes’ recent pace deficit relative to the McLarens, Antonelli will have plenty to smile about. His valiant opening dice with Norris was ultimately in vain, as was the decision to pit under the late-race VSC. The reigning champion simply had far too much in the way of pace and remaining rubber. After being let past by his teammate in the closing stages, Antonelli was able to claim second. With George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in third and fifth respectively, Antonelli has extended his championship lead to a healthy 59 points. With 10 races left to run, Antonelli is by no means guaranteed this title. However, if his ability to make the most of sub-optimal weekends is anything to go by, the 20-year-old is still very much in control.
