Hamilton began the event while facing an investigation into a practice session infringement. While he successfully defended his lead from the pole position at the start, Bottas managed to make a quick move, overtaking Verstappen to move up from third before hitting Turn 1.
Hamilton entered the race with an ongoing investigation for a violation that occurred during one of the practice races. The world champion took the lead at the start of the race from pole position. Bottas starting from 3rd immediately gained a position by overtaking Verstappen before nearing Turn 1.
Bottas nearly snatched the lead for a brief second, but he pushed too hard, hitting the outside curbing and having to wrestle the car back into line. This error ensured Hamilton stayed in front as they headed into Turn 3.
The opening lap was full of turbulence. Daniel Ricciardo managed to pass Verstappen after the latter went off-track at Turn 2, though the lead was quickly retaken. Not long after, Ricciardo lost his grip at Turn 7, sliding wide and letting Esteban Ocon slip past into fourth.
The race had to be halted after Carlos Sainz suffered a heavy impact with the wall while attempting to rejoin the track at Turn 3. The chaos continued as Charles Leclerc's front left tire clipped Lance Stroll exiting Turn 4, sending Stroll into the wall and triggering a safety car period.
When the race resumed on the sixth lap, Hamilton appeared to be in total control of the lead. However, the stewards then dropped a bombshell: Hamilton was hit with two five-second penalties stemming from his practice session error. He served the full ten seconds during a pit stop, which dropped him down to 11th place.
In a surprising turn of events, Bottas seized the lead from his teammate and began to pull away, clocking a series of blistering fastest laps in the low 1m39s range. His choice of medium tires proved superior, helping him hold off a charging Verstappen.
Throughout the event, Bottas built a massive lead of 13.1 seconds, though Verstappen fought back to close the gap. Around lap 50, the margin shrunk to 5.5 seconds as Bottas navigated through slower backmarker traffic. However, Verstappen encountered similar traffic, allowing Bottas to extend his lead once more. Ultimately, Bottas crossed the finish line 7.7 seconds ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton, capping off his performance with the fastest lap of the race.