The race, which started in wet conditions due to heavy rain before the start, undoubtedly delivered surprising moments for all of us. As soon as the formation lap began, rookie Isack Hadjar spun at Turn 2 and hit the barriers, causing damage to the rear of the car. He had to throw in the towel before he could even start the race.
After a delayed start, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri got away well and retained their positions. Behind them, Max Verstappen put pressure on the McLaren duo from the start, relentlessly pushing to find a way past. Before long, he succeeded, overtaking Piastri to take second place.
Starting from seventh, Charles Leclerc gained two places and moved up to fifth. Meanwhile, Alpine’s Jack Doohan spun at Turn 5, hitting the barriers and causing a safety car deployment. At the same time, Carlos Sainz also spun and found himself in the barriers.
On lap 7, the safety car period ended, and the race restarted. By lap 12, DRS was enabled by race control.
On lap 17, Piastri launched an attack on Verstappen ahead. Verstappen made a mistake under braking and was forced to run wide into the gravel. As a result, Piastri completed the move and took second place.
On lap 20, Lawson overtook Ocon ahead to move up to 15th place.
Having gained four positions since the start of the race, Antonelli made another move on lap 23, passing Stroll to climb to 11th place.
Piastri closed in on Norris ahead on lap 30, and the pair began lapping the backmarkers.
On lap 34, Fernando Alonso spun and stopped against the barriers at Turn 7.
By lap 42, the safety car period ended, and the race restarted. On lap 44, Tsunoda overtook Leclerc to move into fifth place.
As rain suddenly intensified, Norris and Piastri lost control, allowing Verstappen to take the lead. Norris managed to rejoin the race, but Piastri got stuck on the grass, bringing out the yellow flags. After some time, the Australian driver engaged reverse and managed to get back on track.
As the rain became heavier, several drivers, including Verstappen, dived into the pits. However, Hamilton and Leclerc stayed out, moving into first and second place.
Meanwhile, both Lawson and Bortoleto spun and crashed into the barriers, bringing out the safety car once again. Unable to hold on any longer in the slippery conditions, Hamilton and Leclerc were also forced to pit. This allowed Norris to reclaim the lead, with Verstappen in second, Russell in third, Albon in fourth, and Antonelli moving up to fifth.
On lap 52, the race restarted, and Norris maintained his lead. With two laps remaining, the gap between Verstappen and Norris dropped to under one second. Meanwhile, Antonelli, who was running in fourth place, received a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit exit.
Until the final moments, Verstappen and Norris battled fiercely, but Norris managed to hold his position and secured the victory.
Russell completed the podium, while Alex Albon moved up to fourth following Antonelli’s penalty. Despite his penalty, Antonelli, who had gained 11 positions since the start, finished in fifth place.
Stroll, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, Piastri, and Hamilton rounded out the top ten.
After the race, following a Mercedes appeal, Antonelli’s penalty was revoked, promoting the Italian driver to fourth place.
