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Valtteri Bottas used the tyre compound advantage to good use as he extended Mercedes’ constructors’ championship lead, and most importantly, kept Max Verstappen behind as the Dutchman had to settle for second place.
The Dutchman will reflect positively on his Sprint finish as he extends his lead in the drivers’ standings and starts from the front row of the grid tomorrow. Lewis Hamilton fought back brilliantly to finish in fifth place but will endure a five-place grid drop that will see him start the race from 10th.
Starting Grid
After Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying due to a DRS infringement, Max Verstappen inherited pole position for the Sprint as Valtteri Bottas joined the Dutchman on the front row of the grid.
Honda locked out the second row as Sergio Perez started third with Pierre Gasly in fourth. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz made it an all Ferrari third row with the McLaren’s of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo occupying the fourth row and the Alpine’s of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10.
Sebastian Vettel moved up to 11th with Yuki Tsunoda in 12th, Kimi Raikkonen in 13th, Antonio Giovinazzi in 14th, Lance Stroll in 15th, Nicholas Latifi in 16th, George Russell in 17th, Mick Schumacher in 18th, Nikita Mazepin in 19th and Lewis Hamilton in 20th after his disqualification from qualifying saw him start at the back of the grid for the F1 Sprint.
As It Happened
Bottas’ fantastic getaway saw him gain the lead of the race into turn one. Sainz was also on the move as he cleared Gasly and Perez at the start before overtaking Verstappen for second place.
Raikkonen, Ocon and Giovinazzi all battled for position into turn one as the former was spun around after a collision with his Alfa Romeo teammate which sent him to the back of the field.
After he started at the back of the grid, Hamilton looked to make up as many positions as possible, and by the end of lap two, the Brit was up to 14th as he overtook Stroll
Down into turn one on lap four, Verstappen made up a position as he caught the soft tyre struggling Sainz to claim second place.
After five laps, Bottas led the Sprint ahead of Verstappen in second and Sainz in third. Perez was fourth with Leclerc in fifth, Norris in sixth, Gasly in seventh, Ocon in eighth, Vettel in ninth and Ricciardo in 10th.
Hamilton moved up another position as he finally caught Alonso with the use of DRS to claim 11th place. Norris claimed fifth with the McLaren driver overtaking Leclerc into turn four.
As Verstappen started to catch Bottas, his championship rival overtook Ricciardo and Vettel in quick succession as he moved up to ninth.
However, the Brit was not done there as he dispatched Ocon, Gasly, Leclerc and Norris to finish the race in fifth place.
Hamilton’s teammate, Bottas was able to control the Sprint from start to finish as he claimed a valuable three points for himself and for Mercedes in the battle at the top of the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen and Sainz joined the Finn on the podium as Perez, Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, Gasly, Ocon and Vettel rounded out the top 10.
What’s Next?
Valtteri Bottas will look to keep Max Verstappen behind as the Finn is the lone Mercedes in the top five. Hamilton starts the race from 10th and will try to pick his way through the field to finish as high as he can.
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