The Spanish Grand Prix was a one-man show, as Max Verstappen led from start to finish to claim his fifth win of the season and extend his lead in the Formula One championship.
The Red Bull driver was in a class of his own, as he fended off a challenge from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the start and then controlled the race with ease.
Verstappen’s victory was the seventh in a row for Red Bull, who has been unbeatable so far in 2023.
Verstappen’s Masterclass
Verstappen had looked unstoppable from the first practice session on Friday, setting the fastest time in all three sessions and taking pole position by half a second over Sainz.
He made a good start and defended his lead into the first corner, while Sainz slotted into second ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Verstappen quickly pulled away from Sainz, building a gap of over 10 seconds by lap 10. He pitted on lap 24 for a set of hard tyres, rejoining in second behind Sainz, who had started on softs.
Verstappen soon caught up with Sainz and passed him on lap 28 with a bold move around the outside of Turn 1.
From then on, Verstappen was in a league of his own, managing his pace and tyres without any trouble. He pitted again on lap 46 for a set of soft tyres, just to be safe and have some fun.
He rejoined in the lead and cruised to the finish line, crossing it 24 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who had overtaken Sainz after his first pit stop.
Verstappen also set the fastest lap of the race on lap 64, earning an extra point and completing a perfect weekend.
He now has 178 points in the championship, 53 more than his team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth after a late charge. Hamilton is third with 114 points, while Russell is fourth with 98.
Verstappen was delighted with his performance, saying: “It’s a big pleasure to drive with a car like this and it showed again today. We had quite a lot of different tire strategies today. I knew the start was going to be a bit tricky going into Turn One but luckily nothing happened. We had another strong weekend and that’s what I like to see for myself in the weekend and hopefully, we keep that up for the year.”
Red Bull’s Dominance
Red Bull has been the dominant force in Formula One this season, winning all seven races so far and leading every lap of the last three grands prix. They have also taken six pole positions out of seven, with only Hamilton spoiling their streak in Monaco.
Red Bull has clearly found the sweet spot with their RB19 car, which suits Verstappen’s aggressive driving style and exploits the strengths of their Honda engine. They have also been flawless in their strategy and pit stops, giving Verstappen every opportunity to maximize his potential.
Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner praised Verstappen and the team for their performance in Spain, saying: “It was an outstanding drive by Max today. He controlled the race from start to finish and never looked under any pressure.
He managed his tires brilliantly and executed the strategy perfectly. It was another great team effort by everyone here and back at the factory. We have a very competitive package this year and we are determined to keep pushing hard.”
Red Bull’s rivals
have been left trailing in their wake, struggling to match their pace and consistency. Mercedes have been their closest challenger, but they have been hampered by reliability issues, driver errors, and poor management.
Ferrari has shown signs of improvement with their upgraded car, but they are still lacking in outright speed and race pace. Aston Martin has been inconsistent, while McLaren has fallen behind after a promising start to the season.
Red Bull’s dominance has raised questions about whether they can win every race this season, something that has never been done before in Formula One history. Verstappen said that it “looks like” they can, but added that it is “very unlikely to happen”. He said: “We will always have things that go wrong. We will always have tracks where it doesn’t work out exactly, bad luck in qualifying, mistakes, whatever.”
The Best of the Rest
Behind Verstappen, there were some notable performances from other drivers and teams. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the Spanish Grand Prix:
– Hamilton and Russell
gave Mercedes some hope with their podium finishes, as they bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Monaco. Hamilton ran longer than Sainz in his first stint and used his fresher tyres to overtake him after his pit stop.
He then held off a late charge from Perez to secure second place. Russell had a strong start and moved up to third, where he stayed for most of the race. He faced some pressure from Perez in the final laps, but defended well to take his first podium of the year.
– Sainz and Ferrari
had a mixed race, as they showed good pace in qualifying but faded in the race. Sainz started second and challenged Verstappen at the start, but had to settle for second. He then struggled with his soft tyres and lost ground to Verstappen and Hamilton.
He pitted early for hards, but was overtaken by Hamilton after his stop. He then lost fourth place to Perez in the closing stages, as he ran out of grip. He finished fifth, ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who had a quiet race in sixth.
– Perez
had a frustrating race, as he started seventh and lost a place at the start. He then got stuck behind Stroll and Alonso, who were on different strategies.
He finally cleared them after his first pit stop, but by then he was too far behind the leaders. He pitted again for softs and tried to catch Russell, but ran out of time. He finished fourth, missing out on his first podium for Red Bull.
– Alonso
had an impressive race, as he charged up from 10th place after his final pit stop to pass three drivers and take seventh at the flag.
He could have also passed Stroll for sixth, but backed off and held position behind his team-mate, even going on to the radio to tell the team to let Stroll know there was “no risk” that he would try to overtake him. Alonso said he was happy with his result, as he felt he had extracted the maximum from his car.
– Stroll
had a solid race, as he started eighth and moved up to fifth after his first pit stop. He then ran long on his hard tyres and pitted late for softs. He rejoined in seventh and passed Norris for sixth. He then held off Alonso to finish sixth, scoring his best result of the season.
– Norris
had a disappointing race, as he started fifth but lost two places at the start. He then struggled with his tyres and pace, and was overtaken by Alonso and Ricciardo in the final laps. He finished ninth, ending his streak of four consecutive top-five finishes.
– How many points does Verstappen have in the championship?
– Verstappen has 178 points in the championship, 53 more than his team-mate Perez, who is second with 125 points.
– What is Red Bull’s winning streak this season?
– Red Bull have won all seven races so far this season, starting with Verstappen’s win in Australia and continuing with Perez’s win in Bahrain, Verstappen’s wins in China, Azerbaijan and Monaco, and Perez’s win in Canada.
– What is the next race on
References
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/max-verstappen-red-bull-masterful-185500121.html
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/65780594
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/65803542
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/motorsport/formula-one-max-verstappen-wins-spanish-grand-prix-hamilton-russell-podium-red-bull-report-news/article66931287.ece
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.verstappen-wins-spanish-gp-to-continue-red-bull-sweep.f1y7g8g9k9k8k9k9k9k9k9k9.html
