The Mercedes duo had engaged in a thrilling late chase, with two-stopper Hamilton charging down his one-stopping teammate, but he was unable to pass on track for the victory, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing third.
However, following the conclusion of the Grand Prix, a Technical Delegate’s Report stated that Russell’s car had been found to be underweight, and the matter was referred to the stewards. The Briton was subsequently disqualified from the results, and Mercedes acknowledged a “genuine error” by the team.
In terms of the on-track action, Charles Leclerc made a good start from pole position to initially lead before being overtaken by Hamilton within two laps. From there, the seven-time world champion looked strong at a track where he had been victorious on four prior occasions.
While most of the field opted for a two-stop race, Russell took a gamble by making just one visit to the pits on Lap 10 of 44. This meant that he was attempting to nurse his ageing hard tyres as the Grand Prix entered its final stages.
Hamilton had closed right onto the back of his teammate in the last laps and, despite getting agonisingly close, the Briton was unable to find a way past Russell, who crossed the line just half a second ahead for what would have been his third Grand Prix win without his disqualification.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Piastri worked his way forward to claim third for McLaren, which is now second, while Charles Leclerc will move up to third in the Ferrari. Max Verstappen bounced back from his P11 start to put his Red Bull into fifth place on the road, and it is now fourth in the results.
Despite getting close to Verstappen, Lando Norris had to settle for fifth on what looked to be a tough day at times for the McLaren man, and his former teammate Carlos Sainz claimed sixth behind Ferrari.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ended the day down in P7, having been overtaken by Sainz in the latter stages amid continuing pressure around the Mexican’s place in the team.
Fernando Alonso took eighth for Aston Martin, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top 10.
Lance Stroll followed in the Aston Martin in P11, and Alex Albon took for Williams.
Pierre Gasly was 13th for Alpine on a weekend where Bruno Famin’s departure as Team Principal was announced, while Kevin Magnussen in the Haas crossed the line in 14th.
There were again no points for Kick Sauber, with Valtteri Bottas ending the race in P15, ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, the Williams of Logan Sargeant and Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg bringing up the rear in P18.
Zhou Guanyu was the only retirement of the day, having suffered a hydraulic issue with his Kick Sauber.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
