12.26amAge shall not weary him: Hamilton closes in on victoryBy Hannah KennellyHe might be 41-year-old but Hamilton is showing absolutely no signs of fatigue. He’s built a 13-second lead and is cruising to victory. Lewis Hamilton lead the grand prixGetty Images12.19amHamilton boots lead; Mercedes duo battle By Eights laps to go and Hamilton has built a bigger lead – around nine seconds. Unless something catastrophic happens, the Brit looks close to victory. Now the battle has turned to second place. Russell desperately needs to hold on to second place to claw back points in his championship deficit to Antonelli. Meanwhile, we’ve just heard a snippet of McLaren’s radio. They tell Lando Norris they’ve reported Antonelli for exceeding track limits more than three times. If that’s true, Antonelli might incur a five-second penalty and Norris might be able to snatch a podium spot. 12.10amHamilton closes in on historic victory By Hannah KennellyLap 48/66: Lewis Hamilton has 18 laps to go and is still in front. He is absolutely flying and is much quicker than the Mercedes duo. Russell is close behind him, followed by Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris in fourth. Aussie Oscar Piastri is still marooned in seventh – the same place where he started. 12.04amPerfect timing: Hamilton pits again By Hannah KennellyThat safety car has been a gift from the heavens.Ferrari have called Lewis Hamilton in for a third and final pitstop. The team executed it perfectly and Hamilton emerges in front. Lewis Hamilton has never won a Grand Prix in red, however he was won sprint races. yesterday 11.59pmRussell chases Hamilton; Alonso trigers safety car By Hannah KennellyGeorge Russell has elbowed his way past Charles Leclerc to snatch second place and is chasing lewis Hamilton for the lead. This is set to be a really thrilling conclusion.Wait! Cameras have just quickly cut to Fernando Alonso who is in the grass. His retirement triggers a yellow flag and a virtual safety car. yesterday 11.56pmHamilton snatches the lead By Hannah KennellyLewis Hamilton has taken the lead of the race, however both Russell and Antonelli have pitted.With a speedy 2.8 second pit stop, Russell comes out ahead of Lando Norris. We are at Lap 39 and Hamilton has a lead of 14ish seconds. He still needs to pit again, so the Brit will need to build a bigger gap to hold his lead. yesterday 11.51pmMercedes duo almost touchBy EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeahhhhhhhhThat’s the ineloquent sound that came out of my mouth watching the two Mercedes battle for the race lead. The race has been pretty straightforward so far, but things are heating up. An impatient Kimi Antonelli lunged at Russell but his teammate cuts him off to keep the lead. This is precisely what Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari want. While Mercedes squabble, Hamilton will shave off seconds and hunt the pair down. As F1 commentators say on Sky Sports coverage, Hamilton can smell victory. yesterday 11.46pmShould Mercedes take the bait?By Hannah KennellyLewis Hamilton has gone in for his second pit stop and suddenly the Mercedes garage looks stressed. They need to decide whether or not to pit. Hamilton is now on fresher tyres and is catching Russell. If Russell chooses to pit again, he’ll end up behind Hamilton and might have trouble catching him. Alternatively, Russell can try and make his tyres last longerUpdate: Nico Hülkenberg has just come into the pits and retired. yesterday 11.41pmLightning fast Mercedes laps cars By Hannah KennellyRace leader George is getting close to lapping the car is last place – Sergio Perez in the Cadillac. Lando Norris has fought his way to fourth, closely hunted by Max Verstappen. Piastri is still in marooned in seventh and is roughly 6.7 seconds behind Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. George Russell leads the race Getty ImagesLewis Hamilton has gone in the pits for his second pit stop. This will force other cars to consider another stop. Hamilton could make these tyres last until the end of the race, however could opt for three-stops. yesterday 11.35pmIs Piastri struggling?By Hannah KennellyOscar Piastri is still stuck in seventh. This time last year, the McLaren driver was standing up top of the champagne-soaked podium in Barcelona. Oscar Piastri briefly moved to sixth but was overtaken by Charles Leclerc.Getty ImagesBut 2026 has handed McLaren a much different picture. Piastri performed well in qualifying yesterday, but that McLaren is struggling for pace today. George Russell is still leading the grand prix, boosted by a 2.1 second lead to Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli is in third but has been given a warning for exceeding track limits. 1 of 3