Race report
The Saubers changed their rear wings during parc fermé, relegating them to a pit lane start. The start was held under intermediate conditions, with Haas opting to start their drivers on the wet compound of tyres. While polesitter George Russell kept the lead on the start, Kevin Magnussen immediately benefited from the wet tyres, and he climbed up to as high as fourth while Nico Hülkenberg worked his way up to the points. Charles Leclerc, who had won the previous race at Monaco, suspected engine issues with his Ferrari SF-24, reducing his pace. He was stuck in the midfield for a majority of the race. [14]
On lap eight, the conditions started to change; the rain was clearing up, so drivers switched to the intermediates. Magnussen lost time when his pit crew were not ready with intermediate tyres. Lando Norris passed Max Verstappen using DRS on lap 20, taking him into the lead. However, Logan Sargeant caused a safety car period by spinning out of the chicane at turns 3 and 4 and into retirement. Norris crossed the pit lane entry line too late to enter and change tyres, so other drivers, including Verstappen, gained a tyre advantage. Norris dropped to third behind Verstappen and Russell. [14]
The safety car exited the track on lap 29 as Leclerc, already suffering from power unit issues, switched to hard tyres, dropping him to last place. Leclerc would soon retire from the race, with the power unit issues persisting. On the restart, Verstappen kept the lead ahead of Russell. Meanwhile, Alexander Albon overtook Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon into the final corner, but he encountered Carlos Sainz Jr. spinning on his way to turn 7. He failed to avoid the Ferrari and he and Sainz were both forced to retire. Ferrari failed to score points for the first time since the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. This was Ferrari's first retirement of the season, and their first double retirement since the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. [14] [15] Sergio Pérez, who was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race weekend in a row, failed to finish once again after he spun into the wall at turn six, hitting the rear wing of his RB20 and destroying it. His team advised him to limp back to the pits to retire, as leaving the car on the track would risk a safety car. However, the Albon-Sainz incident brought out the second and final safety car period. [14]
The safety car period allowed drivers to change their tyres again. These drivers included Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who went wheel-to-wheel with Russell winning out. Russell also battled Oscar Piastri, with the latter keeping his car on the track as Russell was forced off the track in an incident that was ultimately deemed by stewards as a racing incident. Yuki Tsunoda lost control of his RB and spun across the track, leaving him in a dangerous position on track that he was barely able to escape. This dropped Tsunoda out of the points. Verstappen crossed the line to win the race, his sixtieth career win, ahead of Norris and Russell. Russell's third-place finish was Mercedes's first podium of the season, and his teammate Hamilton scored the fastest lap in fourth. [14]
Under advice from his Red Bull team, as they wanted to avoid a safety car situation, Pérez limped back to the pits in an unsafe condition – his rear wing had already been destroyed, scattering debris on track. Red Bull received a €25,000 penalty for the incident, and Pérez received a three-place grid drop for the following Spanish Grand Prix. [16] The Pérez incident facilitated a rule change for the following season, where cars suffering from a critical failure, be it to the chassis or mechanically, would not have to go to the pit lane; instead, the driver has to park at a nearby safe location to retire the car. [17]
Lewis Hamilton 
