Overview
- Starting from pole, Norris managed soft tyres after a red‑flag restart to fend off Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and collect eight sprint points.
- Oscar Piastri spun into the Turn 2/3 barriers on lap six after clipping the inside kerb on a damp track, with Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto also crashing, triggering a 22‑minute stoppage.
- The outcome moves Norris nine points clear of Piastri in the standings with four grands prix and one more sprint still to run.
- Max Verstappen finished fourth and reported handling issues; after further setup changes he qualified only 16th for Sunday’s race as Red Bull evaluates its options.
- George Russell completed the sprint podium in third, and Mercedes moved six points clear of Ferrari for second in the constructors’ standings.