Key events
Lap 67/72 Piastri still can’t get at Gasly, who’s driving superbly.
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Norris
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Verstappen
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Leclerc
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Piastri
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Sainz
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Perez
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Russell
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Hamilton
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Gasly
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Alonso
Lap 66/72 Norris drives over the kerb, which makes no difference to anything. He leads by 18.398 and is going to win this race by miles.
Lap 65/72 Norris now leads by 18.217 and this is a devastation. Verstappen took the lead at the first corner, his superior driving too much for Norris, but the car has made all the difference here.
Lap 64/72 Hamilton’s Merc is the fastest car on the track now, and he should be able to improve his position in what’s left of the race.
Lap 63/72 Ten laps to go, the raw pace of Norris’ McLaren defining the race. Hamilton, in eighth, sets a fastest lap, 1,824s behind Russell, his teammate.
Lap 62/72 Leclerc continues to keep Piastri at arm’s length despite driving on far older tyres, and must now be favourite to hang on to third.
Lap 61/72 I’d love to hear how Verstappen feels about this race; it’s so rare we see him so comprehensively shut down, or at least was.
Lap 60/72 We’ve barely seen or heard from Norris, which tells us how easily he’s dealing with this race, the gap increasing lap on lap.
Lap 59/72 Norris now leads Verstappen by 16.163s, the McLaren the fastest car in the paddock by far, and the constructor championship – currently, Red Bull leads by 42 points – is well in the balance.
Lap 58/72 Still, Piastri can’t get at Leclerc in third; he won’t be at all happy with that.
Lap 57/72 A quiet lap, Norris continuing to dictate.
Lap 56/72 Piastri cuts the gap to Leclerc to 1.10s, having regrouped. Can he get to within DRS range?
Lap 55/72 Another fastest lap for Hamilton, now 21.653s behind Russell, who’s in the pits; Norris leads by 15.199s and has been totally untroubled since hitting the front.
Lap 54/72 Leclerc is bousting, looking good to hold off Piastri. I’m not sure how that can be, but it’s good news for Verstappen, who won’t want a McLaren behind him.
Lap 53/72 Norris serenely presses on.
Lap 52/72 Norris keeps at it, the gap between Leclerc in third and Piastri in second grown to 1.336.
Lap 51/72 We’ve barely seen Norris, so nicely is he going; in eighth place, Hamilton sets the fastest lap, but he’ll need to make up 25.236s on Perez to skank seventh.
Lap 50/72 I’m surprised Piastri hasn’t managed to pass Leclerc yet, but it’s good news for Verstappen, who’ll want to hold off the McLaren for as little time as possible; Norris leads the race by 13.623s.
Lap 49/72 Mercedes bring in Hamilton to see if he can have a hit at Perez and Sainz on new softs, as there’s no danger from behind.
Lap 48/72 Piastri still can’t get past Leclerc as we speculate what might happen in the event of a safety car; McLaren think they’ve the gas to change tyres and still win if so.
Lap 47/72 Piastri is just 0.306s behind Leclerc now, while Sainz, who’s been trying for a couple of laps, nips past Perez to take sixth.
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Norris
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Verstappen
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Leclerc
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Piastri
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Russell
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Sainz
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Perez
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Hamilton
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Hulkenberg
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Gasly
Lap 46/72 Norris leads by 11.797s and the McLaren looks swifter than the Red Bull in all conditions and circumstances.
Lap 45/72 The Red Bull is chewing up its tyres; Verstappen tells his team he’s losing grip. In more ways than one!
Lap 44/72 Piastri closes on Leclerc, the gap now 1.490s and it won’t be long before he’s attacking Verstappen – who trails Norris by 11.472.
Lap 43/72 Of course, if Piastri knocks Verstappen into third, his teammate will close the gap at the top of the standings to 67 points with nine races to go.
Lap 42/72 Norris leads by 9.900s but it seems more likely Verstappen will be overtaken by Piastri than overtake the man in charge of the race.
Lap 41/72 Four laps till Piastri is threatening Leclerc, reckons Martin, and if he gets by, Verstappen in second will feel under threat; rightly so, because this McLaren is rapid, especially on hards.
Lap 40/72 The fastest ma on the track now, Piastri nails Russell at the first opportunity and looks good to force his way on to the podium – he’s 3.881s behind Leclerc, who’s third.
Lap 39/72 Norris leads Verstappen by 9.776; Stroll is hit with a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
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Norris
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Verstappen
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Leclerc
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Russell
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Piastri
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Perez
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Sainz
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Haimlton
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Hulkenberg
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Magnussen
Lap 38/72 Talking of which Piastri is motoring now, setting a fastest lap and chasing Russell – the gap is 1.308s.
Lap 37/72 Let’s say Norris wins here: can he challenge Verstappen for the title? The McLaren looks by far the fastest car now, but does its lead driver have the nous to go with it?
Lap 36/72 Norris’ lead is building quickly as halfway, now up to 8.477s.
Lap 35/72 Gasly has been cited for an unsafe release but in the meantime he’s 12th; at the front, Norris increases his lead to 7.897 and chances are, we’ve seen the pits we’re going to see. Which of the top five can go fast enough to podium?