Verstappen had dominated the race after passing Hamilton during the pit stops only for his hopes to explode with his left-rear tyre on the pit straight with five laps to go. Verstappen crashed at high speed in an incident almost identical to one suffered by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll at half-distance. After the race, Hamilton asked: “Did I have the magic on?” Verstappen had controlled the race throughout once he and Perez passed Hamilton at the pit stops. Leclerc converted pole into a lead at the first corner, only to be passed by Hamilton at the end of the first lap. But he did not gain ground on Leclerc – and by lap six, Verstappen was in second place and pressuring Hamilton. Mercedes took the opportunity to pit Hamilton first, trying to protect their lead, on lap 11, with Verstappen pitting the next time around. Hamilton stayed close to the Mexican for the rest of the race but was unable to get quite close enough to pass.

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