At a race start reminiscent of the infamous Abu Dhabi GP of 2021, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen found themselves sharing the front row once again. However, Hamilton's hard-earned pole position advantage quickly evaporated as Verstappen executed a daring move at Turn 1, forcing the British driver wide.
To compound Hamilton's misfortune, he lost further ground as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris capitalised on the opportunity to overtake him at Turn 2. Suddenly, Hamilton found himself in fourth place, with Charles Leclerc and the fast-starting Carlos Sainz in the Ferraris closely behind.
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The drama continued at the first corner as Zhou Guanyu's woeful start in his Alfa Romeo led to a chain reaction collision involving Daniel Ricciardo's AlphaTauri and Esteban Ocon, who collided with his Alpine teammate, Pierre Gasly. The collision forced Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly out of the race, marking an unfortunate double DNF for Alpine.
With Verstappen setting the pace at the front, Piastri valiantly defended his position in second place. However, Norris had other plans, executing a well-timed pit stop undercut strategy to swoop around the outside of Piastri and take second position.
Verstappen continued to extend his lead over the field, showcasing his dominance on the track. Meanwhile, Perez, who started from ninth on hard tires, displayed impressive overtaking manoeuvres, dispatching Alonso and Russell to climb the ranks.
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As the race unfolded, Verstappen demonstrated his masterful tire management, opting for a longer stint before his pit stop. His decision paid off, as he retained his lead after the pit stop, with Perez closely behind.
Hamilton, on an alternate strategy, steadily climbed back up the ranks, passing Piastri for fourth position with his eyes set on catching Perez.
In the latter part of the race, Verstappen cruised to his ninth victory of the season, finishing a staggering 33 seconds ahead of Norris, who secured an impressive second place despite facing challenges from backmarkers.
Perez looked to be on a mission to remind the doubters of his famous tenacity and skill, securing a solid third place for Red Bull. Hamilton's strong performance saw him finish in fourth, while Piastri settled for fifth after a slow pit stop.
Leclerc's unfortunate pit lane speeding penalty dropped him to seventh place, allowing Russell to make a stunning recovery from 18th on the grid to claim sixth position for Mercedes.
Aston Martin's Alonso and Stroll secured the final points, with Sainz in the Ferrari only 8th.
In the end, it was Verstappen's brilliance that shone through to deliver RedBull’s record-breaking 12th consecutive win, a record previously held by the legendary 1988 McLaren MP4/4 driven by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
