With his sixth win of the year, Max Verstappen defeated pole-sitter Lando Norris to ensure an easy victory in the Spanish Grand Prix.
In a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched his third consecutive victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, further solidifying his dominance this season. The race began with fireworks as George Russell of Mercedes rocketed from fourth to take an early lead, capitalizing on a blistering start.
Verstappen, visibly displeased after a close encounter with McLaren’s Lando Norris at the start, quickly found his rhythm. By Lap 3, he had overtaken Norris and made a decisive move on Russell at Turn 1 to seize the lead. From there, Verstappen controlled the race, despite the lead swapping several times due to pit stops.
Norris, who had been ecstatic about his “perfect lap” in qualifying, found himself stuck behind Russell in the early stages, costing him precious time. Though he fought valiantly to close the gap to Verstappen, a sluggish 3.6-second pit stop hindered his efforts. Despite closing the gap to 2.3 seconds by Lap 65, Norris couldn’t catch the reigning champion, ultimately settling for second place.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium of the season, finishing third after several intense battles with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Russell ended in fourth, struggling with his hard tires in the final stint. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Sainz finished fifth and sixth respectively, their hopes of challenging Red Bull evaporating early on.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly earned a well-deserved ninth place, with teammate Esteban Ocon rounding out the points in tenth. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, starting from 11th due to a grid penalty, managed to claw his way back to eighth, executing a crucial late pass on Gasly.
Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas finished 11th, marred by a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso could only muster a 12th-place finish in what proved to be a challenging weekend. Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo crossed the line in 13th, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid saw him finish 15th as AlphaTauri struggled with their new updates. Yuki Tsunoda ended in 19th, also penalized for pit lane speeding. The remaining positions were filled by Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Alexander Albon, and Logan Sargeant, with Sargeant finishing last.
Despite being named Driver of the Day, Norris was visibly disappointed, admitting that his poor start had cost him a shot at victory. Nonetheless, the day belonged to Verstappen, who celebrated his 106th podium finish, tying legends Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso for fourth on the all-time list.
As the championship battle heats up, every point will be crucial, and Verstappen’s masterful drive in Spain has only intensified the competition.
