RACE REPORT
It didn’t take long for the Mercedes man to
erase the gap and he passed the Williams on lap
19, emerging just behind Raikkonen who had pitted
for hard tyres. Soon after, race leader Hamilton and
second-placed Ricciardo made the same strategic
decision in their first pit stops and thus Verstappen
was boosted to P1 on soft tyres.
By lap 26 Verstappen was reporting that he was
losing grip and at the end of the following lap he
made his second pit stop, th
emerged five seconds behin
in P3. The next stint saw Ha
his lead and by lap 38 he w
Ricciardo and 21 ahead of V
Once again, though, it w
on the move. This time he c
and on lap 39 attempted to
One. The move failed but he