Max Verstappen overcame a comeback challenge from the speedy Lando Norris to achieve an impressive Spanish GP win and extend his lead in the F1 World Championship.
He came to regret a poor start that dropped him from pole position to third at the first corner of the race. In a crucial opening exchange that saw Mercedes' George Russell surge from fourth to the lead, Norris, like McLaren, tried to use strategy to get back ahead. The timing of both pit stops was delayed compared to Verstappen and Red Bull.
But despite constantly catching Verstappen in the final stages of the race, Norris eventually ran out of laps and finished 2.2 seconds behind at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Red Bull driver was looking for his seventh win in an increasingly competitive season.
Lewis Hamilton finally ended his wait for his first podium in 2024, finishing well into third place.
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Lewis Hamilton finished third at the Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of teammate George Russell.
Although he initially lagged behind his fast-starting teammate, Hamilton overtook Russell after his second stop with an eye-catching outside move as he rounded his sister Mercedes into Turn 1.
Russell, who struggled with his second set of tires when going to the hard compound while others, including Hamilton, opted for the soft compound, eventually finished ahead of fifth-placed Charles Leclerc.
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George Russell took the lead from Lando Norris at the Spanish Grand Prix.
But Leclerc's fifth and Spain's Carlos Sainz's sixth, more than 20 seconds behind the previous two, was a disappointing result for Ferrari two weeks after a meaningless race in Canada.
Sainz experienced a particularly disappointing race. He overtook Leclerc at the start of lap four – a move that angered the latter after he cleaned the pair's wheels – but he, like Hamilton's Russell, was reeled back in at the last minute by his soft-shoe team-mate as he struggled. Hard compound.
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A Ferrari crashed at the Spanish Grand Prix, sending Carlos Sainz off track.
Sainz himself was furious at Hamilton's overtaking, claiming the Mercedes driver, who will take his place in 2025, had thrown him off track.
The Mercedes and Ferrari drivers finished close to each other on the road, but this was not the case for the Red Bull and McLaren drivers. Oscar Piastri finished seventh in his second McLaren after a disappointing weekend for the young Australian, while a difficult weekend for Sergio Perez saw him fall from 11th to eighth on the grid after a three-stop strategy.
But an unexpectedly strong weekend ended with a double points finish for the season, with much-needed cheering for Alpine, with Pierre Gasly finishing ninth and Esteban Ocon 10th.
In the Drivers' Championship after the first leg of the season's first tripleheader, Verstappen scored a season-high 69 points to move into second place for the first time, with Norris ahead of Leclerc.
How Norris lost the win seconds after it started
In F1, it is often said that races are lost from the start, not won, and that actually happened to Norris.
The Briton's hard-earned starting advantage, who produced what he described as the best lap of his career to secure the second pole position of his career in qualifying, was lost seconds after the start lights went out.
McLaren focused on Verstappen on the inside, pushing the Red Bull towards the grass. However, this allowed the fast-starting and opportunistic Russell in fourth to get a slipstream on both and position his Mercedes on the outside heading into Turn One.
Sweeping the front row starters in the braking zone gave Russell the lead, with Norris also falling behind Verstappen.
Two laps later, in what proved to be a defining moment of the race in itself, Verstappen made quick work of taking the lead himself, passing Russell at the first turn at the start of lap three.
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Max Verstappen quickly takes the lead from George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix.
While Verstappen opened up an early gap, Norris was stuck behind Russell and lost four seconds to his Red Bull rival before the race leader made his first stop.
McLaren then ran six laps longer than Red Bull at the first stop and were motivated to try and re-enter the race later.
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Hear Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton discuss the Spanish Grand Prix immediately after the race.
What the top three said
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1st place:
“I think it was the start that led the race. I took the lead and was able to build up a cushion and close the gap in that first stage.
“After that we had to drive defensively. Lando and McLaren were very fast. I think we did everything right. I am very happy to win here.”
“It's about tire management. It's very hot out here, so you tend to slip quite a bit.”
Lando Norris, McLaren – 2nd place:
“I should have won. I had a bad start. It's as simple as that. The car was amazing today. We were definitely the fastest. We just missed it at the start.”
“I was disappointed, but there were a lot of positives. One negative and that kind of ruined everything, I know.
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Anthony Davidson analyzes Lando Norris' start and other key points from the Spanish GP that could have cost him victory.
“Aside from that, I got a lot of points and the car was really good, so I’d like to thank the team.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 3rd place:
“It was a great day and a great weekend and I would like to say a huge thank you to the team who have been training hard.
“The strategy and pitstop were perfect.
“Unfortunately I had a really bad start and lost ground to Ferrari, so it was a fight to get back.
“With a better start… I don’t know if we would have been able to catch the guys in front of us, but I don’t think we would have been that far behind.”
F1's tripleheader continues this week with the Austrian Grand Prix. The sprint format returns to the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with the big race taking place on Sunday at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time.
