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Formula 1
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Perez, in fourth, is close to being lapped.
We must be using the US postal system today, because not many drivers have been able to send it in this race...
Despite all his struggles recently, Vettel is closing in on a solid race. Having started on the medium tyre he is up to fifth now running on the softs but probably has to pit again. But with fresher tyres at the end of the race he should be able to fight his way up the order late on.
Pit stop
Kvyat pits from fifth, rejoining behind the 11th-placed Ricciardo.
Stopwatch
Hamilton does a 1m21.539s to extend his advantage.
Hamilton has responded to Bottas' previously quick times, and the gap is now 14.5s between the Mercs.
Pit stop
Stroll is pitting again, taking the soft tyre for the final 22 laps.
Stopwatch
Bottas sets a 1m21.857s to eat into Hamilton's now-12s lead.
Pit stop
And Verstappen's come in for another set of tyres, it's a fresh set of mediums. He rejoins ahead of Stroll, who's several cubits behind the front three.
Pit stop
The experiment on hard tyres hasn't worked for Red Bull and Albon as he pits for a second time to switch to the mediums.
Lap 41, and Hamilton has opened the gap to Verstappen to 10 seconds. Bottas is just 2s behind the Red Bull.
Leclerc heads into the pits and it looks like his Ferrari seatbelts have come loose in his cockpit. Whatever the reason, he is retired from the race.
Radio Comms
"Big dark clouds at the back of the track", Hamilton reports. Bono reports there's a "small" chance of rain, with a possibility of thunderstorms.
Leclerc gets going again, in last place, but tells his Ferrari team there is "something strange" with his engine. Replays of his spin show his engine totally shut off in the middle of the chicane which causes him to spin. Strange.
Yellow flag
Leclerc has spun at the chicane! "Engine, stopped, broken, I don't know," says the Ferrari driver.
Pit stop
Ocon duly pits at the end of Lap 35 to release Norris from the attention of Leclerc.
Pit stop
And Ricciardo has now elected to stop, taking a set of soft tyres and emerging in seventh place.
With Ocon blocking the road for Norris it invites Leclerc to attack the McLaren driver, which provides some terrific action between Turns 3-10 but the Ferrari driver cannot find a way ahead.
Ricciardo has been overtaken by Stroll for fourth place - the Renault driver has yet to stop.
Hellooooo, grey clouds! Fancy making your way over to the circuit?
Albon gets ahead of Ocon, who is still yet to stop in this race, with a DRS-assisted move around the outside at the first corner for P8.
A scrap between the Racing Points now - Perez gets within a whisker of passing Stroll into turn 1, but the Canadian holds on.
The mix of strategies is providing plenty of on-track action now with different cars enjoying or suffering different tyre life stages. Leclerc, on fresh mediums, is hounding Norris on worn softs for P11 but can't find a way past as the race hits the halfway point.
Information
We're now officially at half-distance, as Hamilton begins Lap 33.
But Perez comes back at Sainz, draws alongside at T1 and powers past a lap after his stop. A strong move to overpower the home hero.
This has worked out nicely for Sainz, who clears Perez having committed to another set of softs. P6 for the McLaren driver.
Pit stop
Perez, too, is in the pits. Mediums for him as well - can the Racing Points do this on one stop?
Sainz, on the softs, then gets ahead of Albon on the unfancied hard tyres. Once those ahead take their first stops that will become a net sixth place.
Ocon gets by Magnussen at the first corner and, just like they did against Raikkonen earlier, Albon follows him by at turn three. The Haas driver's tyres are done as Sainz also gets ahead two corners later. Magnussen, tail between his legs, pits at the end of the lap.
Pit stop
Stroll pits from fourth, and emerges in eighth ahead of Ocon and Albon.
So, now we play the waiting game. Ah, the waiting game sucks - let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Albon's become a bit of a sacrificial lamb on those hard tyres. And, like Friday, those tyres still look awful around here.
Radio Comms
"We're nowhere near undercut range," Verstappen is told. The Dutchman goes on a tirade, asking the team to concentrate "on our race". "Head down, Max", comes GP's terse reply.
Information
Verstappen comes out ahead of Bottas, then, and just 4.3s behind Hamilton.
Pit stop
Sainz's Plan A is to take a fresh set of soft tyres at his first stop, meaning he will switch to the mediums for his second stop later in the race. He rejoins the action in P12.
Pit stop
And here we are, Hamilton will stop this time for mediums. Mercedes double-stacks, putting Bottas on the same tyres.
Neither Hamilton nor Bottas feel the need to cover off Verstappen, still with plenty of life left in the softs. It's lap 23 and it's a race that could be described kindly as a "slow-burner".
Pit stop
Licking his wounds after being overtaken by two cars in one lap, Raikkonen pits and returns to the action in last place.
Pit stop
Verstappen gets new tyres, taking some mediums, all but confirming a two-stop. A 1.9s stop, which is quite unbelievable.
Radio Comms
"You want me to repeat it again, the **** tyre is dead!", Verstappen says. "I'm losing so much time, he says on his follow-up message. Can't he see the arbitrary tyre graphic? He's probably fine...
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
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