Overview
- Saturday’s sprint finished Piastri–Russell–Norris with Verstappen fourth, trimming Norris’s advantage but keeping him in control with two races left.
- Piastri edged Norris to pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with Verstappen third and Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli fourth and fifth.
- Verstappen reported persistent bouncing and understeer on his Red Bull across qualifying and the sprint, limiting his challenge to Norris.
- Pirelli’s durability limits will enforce two pit stops and a 25‑lap cap per tire stint, while repeated track‑limits breaches earned five‑second penalties for Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Antonelli in the sprint.
- Ferrari’s difficult weekend continued as Charles Leclerc slipped to 13th in the sprint and only managed 10th in qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton 17th in the sprint and out in Q1 again.