Over the next couple of laps, Williams exercised team orders, and told their drivers to avoid racing each other to pull away from the Mercedes cars. Bottas complained that he was faster and requested permission to overtake for the lead, which Williams granted. His pace did not improve, however, but the top four pulled away from the midfield, leading Nico Hülkenberg in fifth by seven seconds on lap 13. Both Ferrari drivers made a pit stop for new tyres early, on laps 14 and 15, apparently set for a two-stop strategy. On lap 20, Lewis Hamilton opted for the undercut, coming in for a new set of tyres. Massa, then in the lead, and Rosberg, in fourth place came in a lap later. On exit, both fought on the pit lane wheel to wheel, but Massa's lead proved sufficient for provisional second. Bottas came in a lap later, but Hamilton's out-lap, the fastest of the race, saw the world champion take the lead, with Bottas in third; splitting Massa and Rosberg. Daniel Ricciardo retired with an electrical failure on lap 23.
