Not even the new front wing rule has been able to stop McLaren. World Championship leader Oscar Piastri triumphed in Barcelona ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc finishing third in the Ferrari. The day's loser is Max Verstappen: the Red Bull driver lost two positions on the hard tire in the closing laps, then received a ten-second penalty and finished tenth. Oscar Piastri celebrated his fifth victory of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix and extended his lead in the Formula 1 standings.
The Australian won a tactical Grand Prix north of Barcelona on Sunday, just ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who benefited from a late safety car period. Defending champion Max Verstappen had to settle for tenth place in the Red Bull after a scandal. The Dutchman deliberately collided with Mercedes star George Russell in a turbulent final phase and received a ten-second penalty for it. Russell finished fourth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber and Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.
In the world championship standings, Piastri, who celebrated his seventh career GP victory, now leads Norris by ten points after nine of 24 races, with Verstappen already 49 points behind. "It's been a great weekend for us. It's been a great year so far," said a pleased Piastri. There were only 19 cars on the grid, as Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll had to race at short notice due to injury. The Canadian has been struggling with pain in his right hand for weeks, which underwent surgery following a bicycle accident in 2023, and it remains to be seen whether he will be on the grid for his home Grand Prix in two weeks' time.
In any case, the starting position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló promised excitement with the long run to the first corner. Polesitter Piastri got off to a good start and pulled away comfortably. Behind him, Verstappen passed Monaco winner Norris, but Russell struggled more severely and lost two positions to the Ferrari duo. The English national team, making a trip to the top flight of motorsport ahead of World Championship qualifying in Andorra, witnessed Hamilton having to let his faster Ferrari colleague Leclerc pass after a steady order.
Verstappen put pressure on McLaren with several stops. With the high temperatures in Catalunya, the focus turned to tire management, one of McLaren's strong points this season. "There's no grip compared to them," Verstappen said over the radio in dismay. As a result, Norris quickly closed in on the Dutchman and passed him on lap 13 of 66. Red Bull then decided to make an earlier pit stop, while McLaren ran their laps at the front unimpressed. After the first series of pit stops, Verstappen took the lead thanks to soft tires, while the Papaya team opted for medium tires.
While Verstappen tried his luck with a three-stop strategy, McLaren defended their double advantage on the originally planned two-stop variant. The four-time champion was almost four seconds behind the McLaren duo after his second stop, but was the first driver of the trio to need to change tires again on lap 48. Norris fought back, rejoining the track ahead of Verstappen and defending his second place despite several laps.
With eleven laps remaining, Andrea Kimi Antonelli parked his Mercedes in the gravel trap after a technical defect, triggering a safety car period. While both McLaren cars switched to used soft tires, Red Bull opted for the slower, harder set of tires. Verstappen had a catastrophic restart and had to let Leclerc go. Russell also wanted to overtake the world champion, but resisted and refused to let the Mercedes driver overtake him after a collision despite the team's instructions. Then Verstappen lost his temper: he indicated he was slowing down, then deliberately collided with Russell and was immediately pushed back by the marshals. At the front, Piastri and Norris easily achieved a double victory.
