Losers: Williams
Alex Albon looked set to give Williams a much-needed consolation point with an inverted one-stop strategy before he ran out of tyres and dropped out of the top-10.
His team mate Franco Colapinto was hit by Piastri, triggering a puncture and though he rejoined, the team was forced to retire the car with a suspected power unit issue. A frustrating end to his final race for the team.
The winter break couldn’t come soon enough for Williams. Relentless crash damage in a cost cap era has limited their ability to bring updates to the track this season and ultimately saw them fade to ninth in the championship.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton tried to put a brave face on a woeful qualifying, that was undone when he collected a rogue bollard, but his disappointment to qualify 18th fastest in his final race for Mercedes was clear.
But he turned things around on Sunday with a vintage performance. The seven-time champion sliced through the field to break into the top-10 and his comeback was complete with a sensational pass around the outside of team mate George Russell on the last lap to secure fourth.
It was the kind of performance that left no one in doubt that Hamilton has still got it as he prepares for a new chapter with Ferrari.
