A Hamilton-Verstappen front row, combined with the first few corners, set the stage for an exciting start. Meanwhile, Norris (starting from P6), Lawson (P19), and Hülkenberg (starting from the pit lane) were among the most disappointing drivers before the lights went out.
Hamilton got off to a strong start, holding onto P1 through the opening turns. Leclerc and Piastri went wheel-to-wheel in a battle for P3, but the McLaren driver ultimately stayed ahead. Norris attempted to pass Russell behind them but ran wide, dropping to P9.
On lap two, Russell overtook Leclerc, as the Monegasque continued to struggle with the car—unlike his teammate, who had been more comfortable with it all weekend.
The opening laps didn’t feature many overtaking moves, aside from Lawson capitalizing on Doohan running wide to take P18. However, it wasn’t a completely clean overtake, as the FIA noted contact between the two, and Lawson, who initiated it, sustained mild front wing damage. Despite this, he wasn’t concerned, quickly making another move on Ocon to climb to P17.
By lap 7, Verstappen had closed in on Hamilton, entering DRS range. The seven-time world champion reported front-left tyre graining, and he wasn’t alone in struggling with degradation. Not even halfway into the sprint race, Norris also complained about his tyres over the radio.
Lawson and Bortoleto went wheel-to-wheel, with the Red Bull clearly having the upper hand in the battle – but not without another touch. This contact resulted in Lawson losing his already damaged front wing endplate entirely.
By lap 12, Sainz was struggling too much to maintain pace, prompting the team to call him into the pits for a tyre change. He rejoined in last place with seven laps to go.
In the closing stages, Verstappen struggled on the front-limited circuit, while Piastri remained within DRS range. The papaya team finally had the upper hand, with Piastri overtaking the Dutchman for P2, while at the same time, Norris closed in on Stroll. A few laps later, he made the move and passed the Aston Martin.
Leclerc was the fastest driver on track in the final laps, closing in on Russell. However, despite his pace, he reported over the radio that the car was undrivable in certain corners, and it wasn’t enough to overtake the Briton.
Hamilton took a mighty victory by nearly seven seconds, a result that gives Ferrari optimism for the rest of the weekend. Meanwhile, Doohan locked up in the final turns, blocking both Saubers and allowing Sainz to get ahead of all three.
Top 8 drivers in Sprint:
- Hamilton (8 points)
- Piastri (7 points)
- Verstappen (6 points)
- Russell (5 points)
- Leclerc (4 points)
- Tsunoda (3 points)
- Antonelli (2 points)
- Norris (1 point)
Edit: Doohan received a 10 second time penalty and 2 penalty points after the race for hitting Bortoleto.