The safety car had been deployed after Canadian Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams with five laps to go and Masi then decided not to demand all lapped cars pass it before resuming racing. That allowed Verstappen — on fresher, faster tyres after strategic stops — to close and go wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton for the lead. Just when it seemed the race would be finishing behind the safety car, which would have handed Hamilton the title, it turned into a sprint finish. (Source: Reuters)