RACE REPORT
It was the second stint that
shaped the race result. By lap 25
the gaps at the front were closing
as Ricciardo encountered traffic
and Vettel’s newer tyres began to
give him an advantage.
With the gaps between the
main protagonists hovering around
the one-second mark, Ricciardo
pitted again on lap 28, taking on a
set of soft compound tyres. Ferrari
immediately responded, bringing
Vettel in on the next lap for the
same compound. Verstappen and
Raikkonen continued to circulate,
however, with Verstappen soon
becoming the youngest driver to
ever lead a grand prix.
On soft tyres, Ricciardo and
Vettel would need to make another
pit stop, but as the laps counted
down it become increasingly clear
that Max and Raikkonen would
attempt a two-stop race.
Verstappen made his final
stop on lap 34 for more mediums
and Raikkonen pitted fro the same
compound a lap later. It would be
the last stop for the pair.
Vettel then made his bid podium
glory. Having not had the chance
to undercut Ricciardo in the first
stint, Ferrari went aggressive with
the German’s third stop, pitting the
four-time champion after just eight
laps on his soft tyres. Ricciardo,
meanwhile, nursed his tyres to lap
43, when he also took on another
set of medium tyres.