Oscar Piastri clinched a commanding win at the Spanish Grand Prix, extending his championship lead, while drama unfolded behind with collisions and penalties affecting the final standings.
McLaren’s Strong Start and Early Strategy Moves
Starting from pole, Oscar Piastri maintained his lead into Turn 1 while teammate Lando Norris briefly lost second to Max Verstappen before regaining it. The McLarens ran strongly early, but Verstappen undercut them during the first round of pit stops, briefly leading the race.
Red Bull then opted for a three-stop strategy, pitting Verstappen early again. That choice briefly gave him the lead, but also left him needing to make a third stop late in the race. As Verstappen rejoined in fourth, the strategy appeared bold and risky.
The turning point came when Kimi Antonelli retired with a mechanical issue, triggering a Safety Car. The top runners pitted, compressing the field and setting up a sprint to the finish.
Piastri and Norris restarted cleanly on soft tyres, while Verstappen found himself on slower hards. Charles Leclerc overtook him for third. Verstappen tangled twice with George Russell. He received a 10-second penalty, costing him valuable points.
Ferrari and Midfield Shake-Up
Leclerc secured third for Ferrari, followed by Russell in fourth. Nico Hulkenberg delivered an exceptional drive to take fifth from 15th on the grid. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, while Isack Hadjar took seventh for Racing Bulls.
Pierre Gasly earned eighth for Alpine, Fernando Alonso delighted home fans with ninth, and Verstappen’s penalty demoted him to tenth.
Liam Lawson narrowly missed the points in eleventh, while Gabriel Bortoleto brought his Kick Sauber home in twelfth. Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz, and Franco Colapinto completed the top fifteen.
The final classified runners were Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman. Antonelli and Alex Albon were the only retirees. Albon exited after sustaining front wing damage and taking a penalty. Lance Stroll did not start due to wrist issues requiring surgery.
Qualifying Recap and First-Lap Drama
Piastri had secured pole with a strong Saturday lap, beating Norris by over two-tenths. With Stroll ruled out, all drivers behind his P14 spot moved up one position on the grid.
Almost the entire field, apart from Tsunoda, started on soft tyres. When the lights went out, Piastri got away smoothly. Verstappen overtook Norris, but Norris soon regained the position.
Leclerc made a quick move past Russell, who had fallen behind Hamilton. Contact between Lawson and Alonso and damage to Albon’s front wing caused early shuffles. Hulkenberg made rapid gains, climbing five places in the opening lap.
By Lap 4, Piastri had built a two-second gap to Norris. Russell complained of Hamilton’s braking. Leclerc was told to pass Hamilton, which he did on Lap 9. Norris then closed in on Verstappen, who complained of poor grip.
On Lap 13, Norris passed Verstappen into Turn 1. The Red Bull driver immediately pitted for mediums. Sainz had a slow stop, falling behind significantly.
Strategic Variations and Safety Car Twist
Piastri stretched his first stint to Lap 23 before switching to mediums. Norris followed a lap earlier. Both rejoined behind Verstappen, who was now leading but owed another stop. Albon received a penalty for rejoining unsafely and retired with damage.
Verstappen pitted again on Lap 29, dropping to fourth. He charged past Leclerc and started closing on the McLarens, but traffic made things difficult. Bearman and Lawson fought for position just as Verstappen approached to lap them. Verstappen angrily called the backmarkers “idiots” over the radio.
Then came the race-altering moment. Antonelli’s stopped Mercedes brought out the Safety Car on Lap 47. Leaders pitted again. McLaren and Ferrari opted for soft tyres, but Red Bull gave Verstappen hard tyres, anticipating better durability.
Final Laps: Clashes and Penalties
At the Lap 51 restart, Piastri held the lead from Norris. Verstappen, on cold hards, lost control and Leclerc passed him. Moments later, Russell and Verstappen made contact at the chicane. Verstappen cut the corner and was told to give the place back. Russell protested, saying, “He just crashed into me.”
Verstappen then collided with Russell again trying to retake the position. He received a 10-second time penalty after the race, demoting him from seventh to tenth.
Piastri stayed clear to take the checkered flag. Norris followed for a McLaren 1–2, and Leclerc completed the podium. Russell was fourth, and Hulkenberg capped a strong day in fifth. Hamilton finished sixth, Hadjar seventh, Gasly eighth, and Alonso ninth. Verstappen rounded out the scorers.
Behind the top ten, Lawson finished eleventh, followed by Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Sainz, and Colapinto. Ocon and Bearman were the final finishers. Antonelli’s failure and Albon’s damage led to their retirements. Stroll’s absence reduced the grid to 19 starters.
Championship Standings and Driver Comments
With this victory, Piastri now leads the drivers’ standings by 10 points over Norris. Verstappen trails by 49 points. McLaren increased its gap at the top of the Constructors’ Championship.
Piastri reflected: “It was a bit of a surprise to see Max try a three-stop and it nearly worked for him but, yeah, it was a great weekend overall. I think the pace was really good, we could turn it on when we needed to. Just very proud of the work we’ve done this weekend. It wasn’t the best first practice, and then we got our stuff together. It’s a nice way to bounce back from Monaco so it’s been a superb weekend.”
Up Next: Canada
Formula 1 takes a one-week break before heading to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix from June 13 to 15.
