Verstappen started from pole and controlled the grand prix early, opening a crucial seven-second gap on second-place start Norris by the end of the first stint. Norris and McLaren appeared resigned to lacking the pace to match the Dutchman, but the race came alive in the final 10 laps, when Verstappen’s hard tyres began to degrade and lose temperature. Suddenly the pursuing McLaren was on the attack, sometimes taking as much as a second a lap out of the lead.
On lap 57 of 63 Norris closed to within two seconds, but gains were becoming more difficult as he chewed through his own tyres. It took until the penultimate lap for him to latch onto the back of the Red Bull Racing machine ahead, but a small snap exiting the Villeneuve chicane ‒ a clear sign of just how hard the Briton was pursuing a second consecutive victory ‒ cost him crucial momentum. It left Norris without DRS on the final lap, which was just enough breathing space for Verstappen to grind out a 0.
725-second victory. “The whole race I had to push flat out to try and make a gap initially,” he said. “I think on the medium tyres we were quite strong; on the hard tyres it was just a bit more difficult to manage.
“The last 10 to 15 laps I had no grip anymore, I was really sliding a lot. “I couldn’t afford to make too many mistakes. Luckily we didn’t, and I’m super happy to win here today.
” Norris put his narrow defeat down to a slow opening stint but was pleased to show at a second consecutive rac.