Piastri was able to take the lead from his team mate off the start by the second turn and Verstappen was up to third. Leclerc also lost out and was down to fifth. Hadjar was seen darting out to the middle when the lights went out but it became apparent he had to do that to avoid Russell, whose anti-stall had kicked in and he went backwards down the grid to 20th.
I watched the Channel 4 highlights package for this event and none of the action further towards the back of the pack was shown, certainly not full screen, including Russell's overtaking manouevres to come back through.
Hamilton was the first of the lead runners to pit and came out in ninth. It would be a race with unusual and changing tyre strategies. Verstappen responded by pitting on the next lap but was overtaken. He then pulled out an amazing overtaking move to get past Lawson and Hamilton in swift succession.
It wouldn't be a race without Cadillac woes; Bottas' brakes caught fire again and he brought the car into the pit lane. Piastri was about to box but had to stay out as the burning vehicle moved slowly in. Norris had been waiting for his team mate to get out of his way and for some clean air for a long time and had been complaining on the radio. Hadjar was in second and tried to hold the McLarens back when they came out from their pit stops, less so for his team mate Verstappen who was behind them. I have a sneaky feeling that he may be retained for the whole of this season, possibly even for next year, unless he is Lawsoned.
With more complaints from Norris, McLaren bought in Piastri for another pit stop, giving him some clean air. He was impeded by Sainz and the pair came together. There seemed to be something wrong with the blue flag system at the track although surely team radio could have assisted the matter. This gave Norris the chance to put in some quick laps and come out ahead of his team mate after his pit stop and was able to overtake Antonelli too.
Then Perez' Cadillac had a suspension failure, or something and retired. There was no Safety Car needed but then Piastri's gearbox went on lap 56. This was another retirement for him following two races at the beginning of the season where he didn't even start. Stella didn't know whether to be thrilled for Norris (probably was) or upset for Piastri but he made the valid point that a "world champion doesn't have a car which stops on the track". A Virtual Safety Car was called for and Norris and both Ferraris pitted. Verstappen didn't which ultimately gifted him a podium finish. Hamilton and Antonelli had a very close approach to the pit exit and Hamilton had to give the place back to his usurper.
In the end, it was a relatively easy victory for Norris although it probably didn't feel like that for him. Verstappen was second and Antonelli was third after Hamilton was given a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane (another reason Ferrari should not have brought him in for the final extra stop). Leclerc had a very nowhere race.
Williams would have finished last if Bearman had not received a penalty and there is little comfort that they are only in that position because both Cadillacs retired. It was even more of a kicker because Stroll finished 13th and Alonso 14th for Aston Martin although I don't know how it ended up in that order (perhaps Alonso wants more pay for next year and is buttering up to Lance's pop?).
Hadjar had a well-deserved sixth place and Russell ended up seventh (he was practically wearing his trunks and snorkel in the press pit). Both Racing Bulls scored points and Hulkenberg scored his first points for Audi. Those had the back have a big battle ahead not to be at the back by the end of the season (not that Cadillac have scored any points yet, maybe they will have a special do-or-die engine for Austin or Vegas?). Those at the front have a battle to stay there. My message to the pit lane is do as much as you can in the one week you allowed before the shut down and then rest and relax because the rest of the season is going to feel like an uphill battle, or I really hope it does. Thanks 2006 Part 1.
If Norris had "over peformed" according to McLaren team principal Stella in Qualifying, the win must have been a Verstappen drive. We are not labelling types of performance by drivers as well as the more usual "Ferraring things up". I suppose we used to have Sargeant to describe a poor performance. This vernacular charge is being led by Lee Mackenzie who said that Piastri must be "feeling a little bit Russell" at the end of the race, a very apt phrase.
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