A fourth victory in a row for Hamilton allows him to extend his championship lead. However, his teammate had a tough race and ended up 4th, behind both Red Bulls. For some it was a huge disappointment, others benefitted from their issues. The full story of each drivers’ race can be read here.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton P1
Quick off the line, Hamilton took the lead of the race at the start. From there, he managed to pull out a gap to the cars behind and perfectly executed pitstops allowed him to command the race throughout. His fourth consecutive victory this season sees him extend his championship lead to 19 points.
Nico Rosberg P4
Rosberg had a poor start, losing out to both Red Bull drivers at the first corner. Under pressure from the Ferraris behind, he clung on to fourth position. Pitting early for Supersofts, Rosberg opted for a three-stop strategy which proved to be the best option for the race. However, by his second stop he was yet to pass the Red Bulls. When he emerged, he was just behind Verstappen.
Going into turn 6, Rosberg made an overtaking attempt and braked late. However, he didn’t turn in and instead pushed Verstappen off the track in a similar incident to that in Austria earlier in the season. He got ahead of the Dutchman but was handed a five second penalty to take at his next stop.
His final stop was lap 44, but a stopwatch issue meant his stop lasted 12 seconds rather than the expected 7. He came out behind both Red Bulls and was unable to pass either, ending the race 4th and off the podium.
Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel P5, Kimi Raikkonen P6
Another disappointing race for Ferrari means they now slip behind Red Bull in the championship. Vettel looked as if he may have been able to challenge the Red Bulls at the start but in the end the pace wasn’t there for Ferrari in the race. Over the summer, they need to find some performance in order to retake second place.
Williams
Valtteri Bottas P9
Starting 7th, Bottas’ race initially went fairly well and he gain a couple places. However, the team opted for a two-stop which in the end didn’t work and he struggled for grip on the worn tyres. He dropped to 9th by the chequered flag, a disappointing result as they had the pace to have finished higher up the order.
Felipe Massa DNF
Clipped by Palmer on the opening lap, Massa’s car sustained some damage on the right rear and this upset the balance severely. He tried to continue with the race, but he was well down the order as he struggled with the damage. In the end, the team chose to retire the car on lap 36 as they were unable to resolve the issue.
Red Bull
A fantastic race for Red Bull, their first double podium for a year, means they overtake Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Both drivers made good starts and got ahead of Rosberg at the start but were unable to challenge Hamilton for the win.
Daniel Ricciardo P2
Ricciardo, despite a good start, was overtaken by his teammate at turn one. Running third, he kept Rosberg behind until stopping. On softer tyres than his teammate, Ricciardo was let past Verstappen. This allowed both drivers to finish ahead of Rosberg, a great result for the team. Ricciardo ended the race in front of Verstappen, in second place.
Max Verstappen P3
A fantastic start saw Verstappen up to second in the first corner, taking both Rosberg and his teammate. He pitted early onto another set of supersofts, allowing him to keep Rosberg behind. When the Mercedes driver made his second stop on lap 27, Verstappen was struggling on his tyres and pitted soon after. However, going into lap 30, Rosberg was right on his tail and putting him under pressure.
An attempted overtake at turn 6 from Rosberg pushed Verstappen well off the circuit and allowed the German to pass. However, he was handed a 5 second penalty for this, giving the Red Bulls a chance of challenging for a double podium. Ricciardo pitted soon after and was immediately much quicker than Verstappen. The team ordered Max to let him through to ensure Rosberg stayed behind.
Running third, his pace dropped off near the end of the race – allowing Rosberg to close in. However, it wasn’t enough to mount a real challenge, securing Verstappen another strong podium finish.
Force India
Nico Hulkenberg P7, Sergio Perez P10
With seven points scored in the race, Force India now move much closer to fourth in the championship – trailing Williams by just 15 points. Hulkenberg had a strong race, opting for a three-stop early on. This allowed him to make up places in the closing stages of the race to finish a strong 7th. Perez had a bad start, dropping to 16th and giving himself a big challenge for the race. Running 11th with just a few laps to go, he made a brilliant move on Alonso to take the final point on offer.
Toro Rosso
Carlos Sainz P14
Starting 15th due to a penalty, Sainz had a tough race ahead of him. A good start moved him up the order and early on in the race he was running just outside of the points. At this stage it looked as if points would be possible but a slow stop dropped him back to 14th and he remained in this position until the end.
Daniil Kvyat P15
Kvyat also had a difficult race, starting down in 19th after a poor qualifying session on Saturday. He made up a few place in the race but ended a long way off the points. However, he remains hopeful of points finishes in the second part of the season.
Renault
Kevin Magnussen P16
Early in the race, Magnussen was running well – fighting with Haas and Toro Rosso for the majority of the race. However, a two-stop proved to be the slower option and he lost out to his rivals near the end as he struggled with tyre degradation.
Jolyon Palmer P19
Starting 14th, Palmer made a good start and moved up to tenth. But, he locked up going into turn 2 and flat spotted his tyres. He then made contact with Massa, damaging his front wing. He had to pit early, compromising his race strategy, and had to make a front wing change at his second stop. From there, he was near the back of the pack and there was little he could do.
Sauber
Marcus Ericsson P18, Felipe Nasr DNF
Ericsson had a good start and managed to make up some places on the run up to turn one. However, he was forced to slow down at the first corner as another car made a mistake. This dropped him to last place and he was unable to make up many places during the race. In the end, he finished a disappointing 18th.
Quick off the line, Nasr gained places at the start but he struggled with tyres and dropped back. He then lost time at the pit stop, compromising his race. Towards the end, he lost power and was forced to retire from the race.
McLaren
Jenson Button P8
Starting down in 12th, Button had a strong start and made up a lot of places. Running most of the race in the top ten, he had a good race despite having to conserve tyres. In the final laps, he was forced to save fuel but was able to pick off a few drivers in the closing stages to make it up to 8th. A strong race, beating both Williams drivers and scoring strong points, shows the good progress they have made throughout the season so far.
Fernando Alonso P12
Alonso ran within the top ten for the majority of the race, but in the closing stages he was forced to save fuel and lost a couple of places unable to cling onto 10th for the final point.
Manor
Pascal Wehrlein P17, Rio Haryanto P20
A good result for Wehrlein at his home race, beating both Saubers and a Renault. Both drivers picked up damage when they made contact, which was not ideal however it didn’t compromise their race too much. Haryanto had a tougher race, unable to pass Ericsson in the closing stages of the race.
Haas
Esteban Gutierrez P11, Romain Grosjean P13
Although they finished just outside of the points, it was a strong race for Haas considering their starting positions. Grosjean had to start 20th, after incurring a 5-place penalty for a gearbox change. Gutierrez had a tough start and dropped back down to 18th. Both went for the two-stop strategy, which worked out well for both drivers, and they were able to pick up a few positions in the closing stages of the race.