Lando Norris had fought his way to the front in mixed conditions early in the race, working his way past eventual race winner Max Verstappen and polesitter George Russell.
But Norris and the team turned down the option to immediately respond to the first safety car of the race, after Logan Sargeant shunted his Williams at Turn 6, and instead toured slowly behind Bernd Maylander's Mercedes while his rivals opted to switch tyres.
