Lifting cost Russell the turbo out of Turn 15, which is how a comfortable afternoon turned into two tenths. Behind him, Kimi Antonelli started 16th, finished fifth, and still saw his championship lead cut from 81 points to 66.

One pit call under the last Safety Car settled it: Toyota sent Hirakawa back out without fresh tyres while Alpine fitted a new set to Martins' car. Martins closed onto his tail in the final laps and never found the way past.

Take the five-second penalty away and Câmara still leads, by one point over Dunne rather than seven over Tsolov. The white line changed the margin and the name in second, not the leader.

The stewards cleared Bortoleto of passing under a Safety Car and gave him ten seconds anyway, on the waved yellow alone, which Document 68 calls an instruction in its own right.

Twenty-two rounds again for 2027, with Buenos Aires in for Balaton Park at round four and an Adelaide street circuit in for Phillip Island at round 21. The sticking point in Victoria was not the fee but the address: the organiser wanted the race moved to Albert Park, and the state refused.