After the duo surged three-wide alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the start, Piastri emerged as the leader into Turn 1 and maintained control for much of the Grand Prix. However, when Norris was called in for his second pit stop ahead of Hamilton to defend his position, the Briton emerged in the lead.
This led the team to repeatedly instruct Norris to cede the position to his McLaren teammate, a directive he hesitated to comply with for several tense laps. Yet, Norris eventually eased off on Lap 68 of 70 and allowed Piastri through.
The 23-year-old Australian then powered ahead to secure the victory, crossing the finish line two seconds clear of Norris. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton overcame his own challenges, including a skirmish with Max Verstappen in the closing stages, to clinch Mercedes’s third and final podium spot.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, while Verstappen dropped down to fifth. He will also be investigated by the stewards for his incident with Hamilton. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz followed in sixth, ahead of the Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who made ground from his P16 starting position.
George Russell also took points after starting back in P17, having crossed the line in P8, while RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the top 10.
Fernando Alonso just missed out in P11 for Aston Martin, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who had a somewhat disappointing day in the RB after lining up in P9 on the grid.
Nico Hulkenberg took 13th place in the Haas, while Alex Albon followed for Williams in 14th, and Kevin Magnussen put his Haas into 15th place.
Kick Sauber’s search for points continues as Valtteri Bottas ended the day in P16, with Williams’ Logan Sargeant behind in P17.
Alpine’s tough weekend also endured as Esteban Ocon took P18, while Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu was the final classified runner in P19.
Pierre Gasly became the sole retiree after suffering a suspected hydraulic leak in the Alpine.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Paddock Magazine…