In yesterday's post covering qualifying, I was expecting an intriguing race today. Conditions were similar to yesterday's qualifying session although a constant drizzle of very light rain meant the track wasn't wet but also wasn't dry. This led to every car starting the race on intermediate tyres.

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Having had a disappointing qualifying yesterday, Daniel Ricciardo decided that the difference between starting 15th and starting last was worth replacing his power unit in the only change to the starting grid shared yesterday.

The race start is often dramatic, especially in wetter conditions but today was fairly uneventful. Bottas. Verstappen and Leclerc all got away cleanly at the front with the only drama happening behind as Perez, Gasly and Alonso tried to squeeze around the first corner. They didn't all fit and Gasly gave Alonso a little bump, sending him in a spin and back down into 17th, earning Gasly a 5 second penalty.

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With Sainz, Ricciardo and Alonso all well out of position, there was plenty of overtaking to be seen further back with Sainz in particular getting through the pack quickly. In his bid to regain the lost places, Alonso gave Mick Schumacher a little bump, earning Alonso a 5 second penalty himself. Ricciardo really struggled to make any headway and was the first to pit, 9 laps earlier than anybody else. Which didn't help him as he sat down in 18th position.

This was one of those races where you were waiting patiently for it to come to life. Would the track dry up and everybody have to pit for slick tyres, or would the rain intensify and see more pit stops for new tyres? The answer was neither, expect in the case of Sebastian Vettel. He gambled on Medium tyres, spent a lap sliding all over the place and quickly switched back to Intermediates (after spinning again on his way into the pits). If there was any thought that dry weather tyres were appropriate, Vettel had indisputably proven that they weren't.

Things did liven up a bit with 20 laps to go - Bottas pitted for fresh tyres in response to Verstappen coming in the lap before. Leclerc and Hamilton choosing to stay out. Initially, it seemed that staying out was the right move but once Bottas and Verstappen had got through the difficult phase with their tyres, they got past Leclerc fairly easily to re-establish themselves in 1st and 2nd.

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Leclerc did eventually pit, as did Lewis (despite disagreeing with the decision) but Perez was able to get past Leclerc fairly easily and Hamilton's late stop meant that he had to go through the difficult phase with his tyres without seeing the benefit after. Once Hamilton had committed to staying out, he should've stayed out and could quite possible have finished 3rd or 4th instead of 5th where he ended up.

This race was a slow burn which nearly exploded into life at the end but didn't quite manage to do so. It ended up being a very easy win for Bottas and an easy drive in 2nd for Verstappen with nothing to trouble either driver at any point. Perez drove well to complete the podium but I do think that both Leclerc and Hamilton will have felt that a podium was within their reach.

Furhter back, Sainz had a good race, starting in 19th and getting himself up to a very respectable 8th and despite starting 4th, Gasly's 6th place finish was also a decent result.

Race Highlights

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Final Result

1. Bottas
2. Verstappen
3. Perez
4. Leclerc
5. Hamilton
6. Gasly
7. Norris
8. Sainz
9. Stroll
10. Ocon

Driver Championship

After taking a new engine this weekend, it was very much a case of damage limitation for Hamilton and he might well have limited the damage more than he did. Verstappen's 2nd place finish has moved him back to the top of the driver's championship, 6 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Po.	Driver	Points
1	Verstappen	262.5
2	Hamilton	256.5
3	Bottas	177
4	Norris	145
5	Perez	135

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