Overview

• Verstappen converted sprint pole into victory by 0.395s over George Russell, as a late Stroll–Ocon crash ended the 19-lap race under a safety car.
• At Turn 1, Nico Hülkenberg's inside move clipped Oscar Piastri and pitched him into Lando Norris, eliminating both McLarens and also ending Fernando Alonso's race.
• The eight sprint points cut Verstappen's deficit to leader Piastri to 55, with Norris still 22 behind Piastri and Verstappen 33 behind Norris.
• Hours later, Verstappen took grand prix pole with a 1:32.510 ahead of Norris, as Piastri qualified only sixth after McLaren rebuilt both cars.
• Stewards penalized Lance Stroll for the sprint collision, moving him to the back of Sunday's grid, while repeated first‑lap incidents kept McLaren's driver management under scrutiny.