When the race finally got underway (six laps behind the safety car is no one’s cup of tea, really), the action really kicked off. Pit stops happened almost instantly, and a virtual safety car was called moments later when Pascal Wehrlein spun off into the gravel. Opting to stay out of the pit lane worked in favour of both the Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen, who all ended up on the podium, Lewis taking the victory.

Verstappen hoped to scoop second after Rosberg developed gearbox problems but the Mercedes crew talked the German through his issues, which later raised the ire of the stewards who investigated him and found him guilty of infringing the new restrictions. He was demoted to third giving Verstappen the coveted second place. Meanwhile, both Renaults struggled with gearbox problems, both Manor cars spun out of the race, and Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson suffered mechanical retirements.