The Grid: Wet Weather Mix-Up Looms Large

Shane Murphey started from pole with Matthew Fisher lining up alongside on the front row. Behind them, Red Bull’s Llewellyn Rees started P3 with Tom Manley in fourth. Rain clouds loomed overhead, creating high tension as the entire field opted for intermediate tyres in the damp opening stages.

Lap 1: Rees Makes a Lunge, Fisher Holds Firm

At lights out, Murphey got away cleanly, but all eyes were on the Welsh duo as Rees tried to snatch second off Fisher into Turn 2. Fisher stood his ground, forcing Rees to back out. Further down the order, Manley lost positions while Huis gained ground, and Sebastian Gunthenstiner jumped from P11 into P9 in the opening chaos.

Early Phase: Traction Rules the Race

From the start, it became clear that Murphey had the superior traction in the wet. He started stretching a gap, lap by lap, as Fisher’s Mercedes looked skittish and hard to control through the slower corners. The field spread out quicklynobody in the top 15 made much progress, as visibility and grip remained tricky.

Mid-Race Drama: Rain Fades, Strategy Calls Begin

By Lap 7, the rain backed off and the dry line started to form. Fisher made a bold move on Murphey to briefly take the lead, but the McLaren’s superior drive on corner exit allowed Murphey to snatch it back. The frontrunners pitted for slicks on Lap 8, with Fisher one of the first to make the switch. Others followed quickly, and a three-way sector battle began between Fisher, Huis, and Bono as all set purple minis.

Lap 9: Disaster Strikes at the Pit Exit

Murphey stayed out one lap longer before finally boxing, allowing his teammate Lucas Thomas to undercut and disrupt the fight. All eyes turned to the pit exit, with Fisher flying down the main straight. But disaster Fisher ran wide into the damp runoff at the final corner, catching a patch of wet tarmac and putting his Mercedes into a wild half-spin. He narrowly avoided the wall and just managed to keep ahead of third place, but the mistake cost him valuable time.

Closing Laps: Relentless Pressure

Despite the scare, Fisher began setting personal bests every lap in an attempt to close the gap to Murphey, who was now calmly managing a growing lead. On the radio, the team told Fisher he was losing 0.2 seconds per lap to the car behind. Mercedes warned of tyre struggles and even suggested settling for a safe P5 finish.

Fisher's response was emphatic:

“Absolutely not. We fight. We either stand tall or end in the wall.”

The final laps were a war of attrition. Fisher’s rear tyres were on the edge, visibly struggling for grip. Lucas Thomas, now in P3, entered DRS range, pushing Fisher hard all the way to the chequered flag.

Checkered Flag: A Heroic Defence

In the end, Shane Murphey cruised home to another dominant win—his fifth of the season. Fisher, nursing his car to the absolute limit, held off Thomas in a heart-pounding final lap to claim second place by just 0.4 seconds.

Post-Race Quotes:

Fisher admitted the race was brutal:

“I’ve never had to drive that hard for a second-place finish in my life. I don’t know if it’s car performance or setup, but that was horrible.”