A dramatic start shook the race before the lights even went out as Oscar Piastri crashed on the warm-up lap and failed to start. After intense early battles between George Russell and Charles Leclerc and multiple virtual safety car periods, Russell controlled the final stint to secure victory ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Leclerc.
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Early drama came before the race. Oscar Piastri crashed on the warm up lap to the grid and he could not start.
At the start Leclerc turned first, in front of Russell and Hamilton jumped to third. After the mix started, Russell got back the lead in the second lap and Hamilton was close this time. In lap 3 Leclerc and Russell fought, the Ferrari driver backed to lead again.
In lap 9, Leclerc and Russell were fighting still, the British had a bad break in Turn 1, it meant Hamilton could close the gap. In 4th position, Antonelli tried to chase Hamilton also.
Verstappen, started from 20th, placed as 9th in the 11th lap, when Hadjar’s Red Bull had stopped after an engine failure – Virtual Safety Car deployed. Excluding the 2 Ferraris, the leader group changed the tires this time. After the pit stops Verstappen jumped to 6th.
Leclerc changed to hard tires in lap 25, Hamilton stayed out. The Monegasque backed 4th. Russell got back the leader position in lap 28, and Hamilton pitted.
The second part of the race brought a calmer stint. 10 laps were to go, Russell led ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc. Hamilton was following on 4th.
Finally, in lap 58, Russell won the race, Antonelli came 2nd and Leclerc finished 3rd.
Strategy in Focus – One Pit Stop
Tyre strategy played a key role as most front-runners opted for a one-stop race plan. Drivers started on medium tyres and switched to hard compounds for the final stint, aiming to manage tyre degradation while minimizing time lost in the pits. The virtual safety car periods also influenced strategy, allowing some drivers to pit with less time loss. George Russell executed the one-stop strategy effectively early, maintaining track position and tyre pace in the closing laps to secure the victory.
The full results of the race according to FIA.com:
