The Spanish Grand Prix tends to be a ‘dull’ race in the F1 calendar. Most Pole positions on this track end up in a race win, which can mean that viewers don’t see much fighting amongst the drivers, something we all love. However, this year’s Spanish GP proved everyone wrong. Here’s a rundown of the 66 laps.
It’s Lights Out
From Pole, Leclerc had a great start and maintained his lead. Verstappen didn’t get past and remained P2. Sainz had a sluggish start and lost two places to Pérez and Russell. Magnussen mad contact with Hamilton and ended up in the gravel. He got out the gravel to join Hamilton, who had a puncture. In dead last, they had some catching up to do. Meanwhile, Alonso managed to get up to P15 after receiving a grid penalty, which placed him at the back of the grid. Hamilton could be heard on the team radio saying he should retire and save his engine. His race engineer encouraged him to stick with it.
It seems that this season, Sainz loves the gravel as much as he loves the track. He span backwards into the gravel and emerged P11. On the same corner that Sainz greeted the gravel, Verstappen too ended up there. Russell and Pérez raced past him, and he had to settle for P4. The Redbull’s were chasing Russell down, with Verstappen getting past Pérez and really putting the new Mercedes driver under pressure. Russell is told his car is overheating, while Verstappen is told that his DRS flap didn’t open the last time. How dangerous could this be for Verstappen?
DRS Enabled, but Broken
Verstappen and Russell both pit, with Russell emerging from the pit lane before the Dutchman. Meanwhile, Leclerc is probably wondering where everyone is. He had an untouchable lead. Verstappen closed to Russell with a second, meaning he can use his DRS. The only problem is that it didn’t work. He could be heard swearing on the team radio. A third of the way into the race and the Mercedes-Redbull battle has already begun. Could history be repeating itself?
Lap 27. Heartbreak for Ferrari fans. Race leader Leclerc can be heard on the radio saying he’s lost his power and his car is moving slow. He retired from the race on this lap. Russell was holding off the Bulls, but Pérez got past. A second retirement happened on Lap 32, with Zhou out. Meanwhile, Russell is called into the pits for new tyres, giving the Bulls a 1-2. Pérez pits as well, meaning Verstappen leads the Spanish GP. His former rival, Hamilton, had an excellent recovery drive and worked his way up to P6.
The Flying Dutchman
After Verstappen pits, Pérez is up to P1. The Dutchman emerges P2, with Russell likely securing the third place on the podium. Race engineers informed Pérez that he needs to let Verstappen pass, to which the Mexican responds that it is unfair, but he will. Further down the track Sainz attempted to give Ferrari fans some hope and took on the Mercedes. They had a dicey battle, but Hamilton was told by race engineers that he needs to stop the fight or he’ll DNF. His car was overheating. Sainz caught him, but he couldn’t catch Russell.
The race finished in a Redbull 1-2, with Verstappen winning the Grand Prix and taking the lead in the Championship. With six points between Leclerc and Verstappen, can the Ferrari drive take his lead back? Find out in Monaco, on the 29th May.