Verstappen reported that his front left tire was “not so good” by lap 21, while Russell stopped on the hard track one lap later. A flurry of pit-lane excitement followed as Norris quickly launched from second, putting the McLaren team back on track in seventh behind Perez.
Meanwhile, Ferrari appeared to be trying to overtake the distance as Norris found himself in traffic, although the Briton did manage to pass Perez within a few laps. Piastri also stopped before passing Stroll for P7 after returning to the track, with the Australian showing strong pace.
Race leader Verstappen soon pitted, while Scuderia pitted Leclerc one lap later, leaving Sainz and Hamilton in front as both had not yet pitted. Leclerc and Piastri quickly overtook Perez, while Sainz and Hamilton both stopped on lap 28.
Sainz finished sixth behind Piastri and Perez, which will certainly please McLaren as Ferrari now has to find a way past Red Bull. Furthermore, Tsunoda made an impressive overtake on Sargeant, with Williams yet to stop.
As the race approached its halfway point, Verstappen held the lead from Norris, Leclerc and Piastri, while Sainz moved ahead of Perez – who was still long in his first stint – into fifth. The Mexican may be known for his ‘tire whisperer’ qualities, but his set of hard tires seemed to be fading away.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”