A Fiery Start and a Frustrated Verstappen
Norris had started from pole, with Antonelli alongside him in second and Verstappen just behind in third. But the opening laps didn't go to script. Antonelli ran wide twice in the first lap alone, handing Verstappen the chance to slot into second place almost immediately.



The real drama, though, came from a clash between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull driver felt Hamilton had pushed him off the track in the opening exchanges, arguing that had he not moved aside, contact would have been unavoidable. His frustration grew when his own team radioed in, asking him to hand the position back to Hamilton, a call that would have also dropped him behind Antonelli.



Verstappen didn't hold back over the radio, clearly unhappy with the instruction and questioning why he should give up a spot he felt he'd earned fairly. As it turned out, he didn't need to wait long for the situation to resolve itself. Hamilton began having brake trouble soon after and was forced to retire from the race altogether, a turn of events Verstappen greeted with a mix of relief and lingering irritation.



Strategy Blunder Costs Norris, Verstappen Holds Firm
Verstappen's route to the podium got another boost when McLaren made a costly pit-stop error with Norris, who had been leading comfortably at the time. The ill-timed call dropped Norris all the way .