It wasn't the quickest stop by Mercedes, as the front right tyre caused the crew a bit of trouble. Lewis Hamilton is back on the radio to ask have they lost even more time? Looks like it, comes the rely, as the in lap was quite slow.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Both Mercedes are the only drivers on the medium tyre in the top ten.

Larry Jay: I get the feeling by 70% laps of each race, Mercedes either use the remainder as research and development OR realise they have been on the wrong strategy. There decision making processes are out of the window.

Box anyway, Lewis. Mercedes call in Hamilton to switch over to the medium tyres.

Max Verstappen is eight seconds up the road on team-mate Sergio Perez, while Charles Leclerc has to hold his nerve on his one-stop in third place.

Lewis Hamilton is now in sixth place and has Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri just behind. The seven-time world champion is asking can he extend this stint on his 15-lap old tyres and informs his pit wall the compound "feels good".

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

Carlos Sainz back out in that Ferrari on a fresh set of hard compound tyres in seventh, so he will be trying to make up as many positions as he can over the next few laps to try and challenge his team-mate and Lando Norris for those final podium positions.

Carlos Sainz has come out behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in seventh place. George Russell, just in front of the pair, comes into the pits, moving the two drivers up and within a blink of an eye, Sainz shimmies through on Hamilton and is now sitting in fifth place.

Image source, Rex Features

Come in, Carlos. Ferrari make the switch for Sainz and dump those 20-lap mediums for something a little harder.

Behind the frontrunners, Yuki Tsunoda is on course for scoring points at his home grand prix. The RB driver is up to 10th place.

The fastest lap stopwatch is parked by Sergio Perez, which is serving the Mexican well, as he overtakes Charles Leclerc to move back up into the podium places in third.

The winner of the Australian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz, is our new race leader, as Max Verstappen has been called in by Red Bull for another stop for hard tyres.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

It's just the wind battling around his (Russell's) helmet and the ride of the car, I'm just looking at the wind speed it has picked up ever so slightly from earlier on. You can do stuff with the wind shield that they put on the front of the cars. The helmet he wears they can make adjustments but clearly he feels he's getting some lift under his helmet and that's not nice.

The other Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso makes another pit stop for some hard tyres. The Spanaird comes out in eighth spot behind the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Image source, Getty Images

"Yeah lots of turbulence down this back straight, my helmet is flying off my head,"

Turbulence down the back straight is causing George Russell's helmet to do things it shouldn't.

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll is going to be investigated by the stewards for a pit lane infringement.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

We've got a good battle on our hands for this final spot on the podium and isn't it going to be great to see these two Ferraris battle it out around this incredible circuit.

Ferrari have delivered some vital information to Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard is quicker than the Red Bull of Sergio Perez, so "keep pushing".

Image source, Getty Images

Jennie Gow
F1 pit-lane reporter

Just spoken to Pirelli and they reckon that Leclerc is on a one-stop strategy they said he's done really great management of those medium tyres to get them to 28 laps around Suzuka.

I'm now looking at the gaps, he's currently P6, and it takes about 22 seconds for a pit-stop, so that means he will jump up to around about fourth, third place maybe and that's the battle and they are desperately trying to get him a decent race result and to maybe get him on the podium. It's aout closing that gap now."

A very wide moment from Oscar Piastri but unlike Charles Leclerc a few laps earlier, the McLaren driver doesn't lose track position.

Image source, Getty Images

The top four drivers are all on the medium tyres, Oscar Piastri all the way down to Esteban Ocon in 16th is on the hard compound. Charles Leclerc is on the Ferrari radio to ask who needs to make a stop at the front of the pack?

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The battle we've got here is for essentially sixth place, Norris is on the back of Russell now, he will have the aid of DRS. I expect a nice little battle now going down into Turn One.