Elsewhere, Colapinto’s team mate Albon suffered a spin after receiving a tap from Stroll but both were also able to stay in the running, despite the Aston Martin having to make a pit stop. The start had been better for some, though, with Perez moving up from ninth to seventh while Tsunoda had made gains, having moved from 14th to 10th.
After the Safety Car peeled in just as Lap 5 began, Verstappen executed a solid restart to hold the lead while Piastri picked off Leclerc for fourth and Lawson spun off the track into Turn 1, dropping the RB to the back of the pack in P18. Alonso, meanwhile, fell into the clutches of Hamilton and Tsunoda, leading the Spaniard to report that his lack of pace on the straight was “worrying”.
There was further trouble for Aston Martin when Stroll headed to the pits, seemingly to retire the car, on Lap 8 – just as he was hit with a 10-second time penalty for his collision with Albon. This then prompted the Canadian to return to action but the team’s problems weren’t over, with Alonso noted for rejoining the track unsafely.
The stewards were certainly being kept busy, as the next incident noted was a potential false start by Hamilton. Replays showed the Mercedes seemingly moving early before stopping and then going again, with Hamilton heard remarking over the radio: “Sorry, guys.” Stroll, meanwhile, had now retired from the running after serving that penalty.
As plenty of action played out across the field – including a feisty battle between Magnussen and Tsunoda as they fought over P9, a scrap won by the Haas – Verstappen remained in the lead up ahead by two seconds from Norris, while Piastri looked to be closing in on Russell in a potential fight for third and the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz followed in fifth and sixth.
