The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[8]Oliver Bearman drove in the first free practice session for Haas in place of Kevin Magnussen.[9][10] This was the 300th entry and Grand Prix start for Mercedes as a Formula One constructor.[11]
Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds (the softest three in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event. The tyre compounds selected are one set softer than the previous edition of the race.[12]
The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 17:00 local time, and was topped by Leclerc ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Yuki Tsunoda of RB.[16] The third free practice session was held on 18 May 2024, at 12:30 local time,[1] and was topped by Piastri ahead of his teammate Lando Norris and Sainz of Ferrari.[17] Two red flags were observed after Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Pérez both collided with the wall.[18] Pérez's crash in particular occurred during the closing minutes of the session, which disallowed further timed laps for most drivers.[19] Aston Martin was fined €100 after Lance Stroll breached the pit lane speed limit by 0.1 km/h (0.062 mph).[20]
^2 – Fernando Alonso qualified 19th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane as his car was modified during parc fermé conditions.[25][27]
^3 – Logan Sargeant failed to set a time during qualifying. He was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion.[25]
Race
The race was held on 19 May 2024, at 15:00 local time (UTC+2), and was run for 63 laps.[1]
Race report
Before the race, one change to the grid was made: Fernando Alonso, in his lowest start for Aston Martin, started from the pit lane due to suspension changes that were made during parc fermé. He was originally due to start 19th of 20. Sargeant, who had not set a lap time within 107% rule time, was allowed to race at the stewards' discretion.[citation needed] The race began with Red Bull Racing polesitter Max Verstappen having a good start ahead of second-placed McLaren driver Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton moved his Mercedes into seventh place while Sergio Pérez, who suffered his first Q2 elimination of the season the day before, overtook Daniel Ricciardo in the RB for tenth place. Verstappen proceeded to build a three-second gap to Norris by lap-ten, who was pressured from behind by the Ferrari drivers of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.[28][29]
On lap ten, Alexander Albon encountered an issue with his hard tyres. Williams fitted his tyre incorrectly during their pit stop, resulting in it being loose. He had to slow down on track to avoid the tyre becoming loose, and was given a ten-second penalty from the stewards for an unsafe release. Albon, who was now a lap down at this point, took the medium compounds for his next stop as other drivers came in. The RB of Yuki Tsunoda had been stuck behind Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg but would eventually undercut him after a quick stop. Meanwhile, with Piastri continuing to struggle against Sainz, Pérez ran wide into the gravel trap, making him lose time. Numerous drivers, including race leader Verstappen, took their stop by lap 21. Verstappen briefly conceded the lead to Sainz before he overtook the latter on lap 27. Pérez soon came under pressure from Hamilton, who was able to dispatch the Red Bull driver. Pérez had been utilising the hard tyres from his first stint, making a change on lap 38 to mediums and attacking Ricciardo, Hülkenberg and Tsunoda shortly after he exited the pit lane. Meanwhile, Magnussen was scrapping with the Alpine drivers and the Sauber of Zhou Guanyu while Norris and Leclerc were close to each other in a battle for second place.[28]
With Norris having pulled away from Leclerc after the latter made a mistake, Verstappen's lead soon came under threat with Norris beginning to close the gap to the race leader. Meanwhile, Williams decided to retire Albon. By the time the chequered flag was flown, Norris finished in second place while Verstappen won the race by 0.725 seconds ahead of Norris, who closed the gap from six seconds in the final 15 laps.[29] Leclerc completed the podium in third, and behind him was Piastri in fourth and Sainz in fifth. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll scored two points, with his team mate Alonso the last of the finishing cars in nineteenth. This was Alonso's lowest finish in his Formula One career. The seventh-placed George Russell took the fastest lap for Mercedes.[28]
^Golding, Nick (18 May 2024). "Third practice red-flagged after rare Alonso crash". RacingNews365. Alonso entered the corner and lost the rear of the car, sending him into the barrier backwards which is not far from the edge of the circuit.
