BARCELONA, Spain — Oscar Piastri secured victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. However, the race narrative was heavily influenced by reigning world champion Max Verstappen, whose late-race actions resulted in a penalty after a controversial incident with George Russell.
Piastri`s strong performance from pole position allowed him to build a lead, extending his championship advantage over Norris to 10 points and regaining momentum after Norris`s recent triumph in Monaco. While Norris was unable to mount a serious challenge for the win in Spain, McLaren`s dominance was clear.
Much of the race`s tension centered on Verstappen, who initially showed impressive pace, even employing an aggressive three-stop strategy to challenge the McLarens. His early brilliance showcased his championship pedigree.
However, a late Safety Car period disrupted Verstappen`s race. Red Bull opted for the less favored hard tire compound, leaving him vulnerable to rivals behind him on fresher or softer rubber. At the restart, Verstappen narrowly avoided spinning before losing a position to Charles Leclerc`s Ferrari after their cars made contact on the main straight.
The most notable incident occurred at Turn 1, where Verstappen made contact with George Russell`s Mercedes. Verstappen managed to hold the position by running off track and using the Turn 1 exit road. Following instructions to yield fourth place back to Russell, Verstappen appeared to slow but then controversially drove back into the side of the Mercedes as Russell attempted to pass alongside him. Russell eventually completed the pass a couple of corners later.
Race stewards quickly reviewed the incident and handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty as he crossed the finish line. This demoted him to 10th place and also resulted in three penalty points, bringing him close to a potential race ban.
Verstappen declined to discuss the incident with the media post-race. However, George Russell offered his perspective to Sky Sports:
“I`ve seen those moves before on simulator games and in go-karting but never in Formula 1. Ultimately we came home in P4 and he came home in P10, so I don`t really know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment.”
“Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him, it`s just a shame things like that continue to occur. It`s totally unnecessary and it never seems to benefit himself.”
Verstappen`s penalty promoted Nico Hülkenberg of Sauber to an unexpected fifth place. Hülkenberg had overtaken Lewis Hamilton, who had a relatively quiet race in the other Ferrari, shortly after the restart.
Isack Hadjar continued his strong season form, finishing seventh, ahead of Alpine`s Pierre Gasly in eighth. Local hero Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season for Aston Martin, finishing ninth – a welcome positive for the team following teammate Lance Stroll`s unexpected withdrawal the previous day.
Dominic Ashworth