Sainz takes maiden win in dramatic race as title challengers struggle

Lewis Hamilton finished third, with Max Verstappen picking up damage that dropped out of the lead fight early in the restarted race, which was stopped after just a few corners due to the Turn 1 incident.

At the start of the race, Verstappen used the grip advantage of soft tyres against the mediums on pole-sitting Sainz’s Ferrari to get alongside off the line and steal ahead into Abbey to immediately wrestle the lead from second on the grid, while Hamilton rocketed past…