The lead vehicles all stayed out on slick tyres by way of the primary interval of rain, however the groups knew extra rain was coming and because it got here down extra closely Verstappen benefited from an early cease for intermediates on lap 26.
Norris, Hamilton and Russell adopted him in a lap later, Piastri struggling badly for staying out an extra lap on the slicks and shedding 10 seconds to the lead pack.
The cease timing vaulted Verstappen as much as third behind Norris and Hamilton, with Russell fourth.
However 4 laps later Russell was out of the operating when he was informed to retire his Mercedes due to a water system drawback.
By lap 38, with 14 to go, the monitor was nearly dry, and Verstappen once more jumped early for a tyre change.
He and Hamilton stopped collectively, Mercedes selecting tender tyres and Verstappen exhausting, whereas Norris stayed out a lap later earlier than taking softs.
The sooner cease, mixed with a delay within the pits for McLaren as Norris stopped past his marks, vaulted Hamilton forward into the lead,.
It arrange a grandstand end, with the three vehicles in a single digital camera shot on the Hangar Straight for your complete climactic interval of the race.
Hamilton at all times appeared to have Norris underneath management, however it was quickly clear that Verstappen was now the key risk, the Purple Bull reworked by the choice to change to exhausting tyres.
Verstappen swept by Norris on lap 48 down the Hangar Straight, and went into the ultimate 4 laps 3.2 seconds behind Hamilton and shutting in.
However Hamilton had sufficient to carry him off, crossing the road 1.4secs adrift, earlier than Hamilton fought again tears after climbing out of the automobile.
In the meantime, Norris and Piastri have been left to rue some doubtful McLaren pit calls – each Norris’ stops have been a lap too late, whereas Piastri was undone by the choice to not double-stack him behind Norris once they modified to inters.
And Piastri’s tempo on the medium tyres on the finish of the race – he was the quickest automobile on the monitor by a fairly some margin, and gained 10 seconds on the leaders – prompt that Norris, too, ought to have gone on to the identical compound when he made his remaining cease.
Behind Sainz, Hulkenberg impressed in a Haas closely upgraded for this race in sixth place, whereas Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso took seventh and eighth as Williams’ Alex Albon and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda accomplished the factors positions within the prime 10.
