With the formation lap completed in particularly breezy conditions, the five lights switched on and then released the grid away for the 56-lap race – Russell initially attacking polesitter Piastri on the run to Turn 1, only to back out at the apex and get jumped by Norris.
Behind, drama ensued through that sweeping first complex, with Hamilton and Leclerc both managing to find a way past Verstappen, only for the Monegasque to bounce off the Turn 2 kerb and run into the back of his new team mate and pick up front wing damage.
“We have 20 to 30 points loss on the front. If we can survive, we wait for the first stop,” Leclerc was told over the radio. “We can survive,” came his response, as he remained in P5 over Verstappen, Antonelli, Tsunoda, Hadjar and Ocon, who had passed Ocon.
Elsewhere, replays showed Bortoleto suffering a snap as he chased Bearman through Turn 7, sending him into the gravel and back to the pits for a fresh set of hard tyres, while Alonso retired his Aston Martin after shouting that “I cannot brake” over the radio.
As the race settled down, Piastri led Norris by just over a second, keeping his team mate outside of the crucial Drag Reduction System (DRS) window, with similar margins developing between the cars behind – Russell still third from Hamilton and the wounded Leclerc.
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