As the race commenced, pole-sitter George Russell led the pack, with Lewis Hamilton following closely behind. A battle soon unfolded between the two Mercedes drivers and McLaren's dynamic duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as the weather conditions began to fluctuate.
The lead changed hands as drivers switched to intermediate tyres after the initial phase. However, when the skies cleared, Hamilton seized the opportunity, pitting for slicks one lap before Norris. The Briton took advantage of Norris’s slow pit stop to emerge as the new race leader.
Unfortunately for Russell, his race ended prematurely due to a water system issue. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen showcased his skill by overtaking Norris in the latter stages, securing P2 for Red Bull. Despite this, Hamilton maintained his lead, securing an emotional victory – his record ninth win in a single Grand Prix and his first P1 result since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, displaying impressive pace on hard tyres in the final laps, could not challenge Hamilton for the lead and finished in P2. Norris completed the podium in third place, a respectable result for McLaren.
Piastri took fourth place, followed by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in fifth and Nico Hulkenberg in sixth for Haas. Aston Martin had a better weekend than recent outings, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finishing in seventh and eighth respectively. Alex Albon secured two valuable points for Williams in ninth place.
Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten for Red Bull, with Logan Sargeant narrowly missing out on points for Williams in P11, followed by Haas’s Kevin Magnussen in P12 and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in P13.
Charles Leclerc had a disappointing race. Despite early gains, an early switch to intermediate tyres saw him fall back, eventually finishing in P14. Valtteri Bottas led the Kick Sauber contingent in 15th, while Esteban Ocon endured a tough day for Alpine, finishing in 16th. Sergio Perez continued his challenging season, ending in 17th place.
Zhou Guanyu was the final classified runner in P18 for Kick Sauber. Russell was one of two retirees due to his water system issue. Pierre Gasly also failed to finish, with his Alpine suffering from a gearbox problem that forced him to retire at the end of the formation lap.
Hamilton's victory marks a significant milestone in his illustrious career, reigniting hopes of a championship challenge.
