"On Sunday, like in the sprint, Verstappen was unchallenged into turn 1 and drove to the checkered flag without much drama. Norris probably had the speed to challenge him, but the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, which started the race on soft tires rather than mediums, used his grip advantage to pass Norris at the first turn. Within about four laps Leclerc's tires had already given their best, allowing Verstappen to eke out a small lead."
"What followed was a wonderfully exciting battle between Norris and Leclerc for second place. The drivers were on different strategies: Leclerc would switch to a medium after his soft tire, Norris would do the opposite. It took Norris a while to pass Leclerc the first time, with the McLaren driver trying the same cutback move at a number of corners without success before eventually succeeding."
Verstappen led from the start and won without challenge, taking the checkered flag comfortably. Leclerc began on soft tires and used early grip to overtake Norris at turn one, but his soft tires peaked within four laps, enabling Verstappen to build a small lead. Norris and Leclerc engaged in a prolonged, strategic battle for second, running opposite tire strategies that produced multiple overtaking attempts. Norris eventually completed decisive passes, including a brave move into turn 12, and matched Verstappen's pace in clean air but could not close the gap. Verstappen moves within 40 points of Piastri, with Norris 14 points behind Piastri. The next race is in Mexico City.
Read at Ars Technica
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