Photo: Twitter / Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
Following a tumultuous weekend with a skewed qualifying session, the Spanish GP finally happened. And despite ending the way everyone expected, with Max Verstappen taking the checkered flag, the race still provided a fair share of surprises.
And fans did not have to wait too long for those unexpected events to begin. Just as the lights went out, signaling the start of the Spanish GP, Carlos Sainz made an amazing start, challenging Verstappen in the first corner, albeit to no avail.
To the dismay of the Tifosi, the Dutchman then built up a lead he would not let go of until the end of the Grand Prix, leading from start to finish, while Ferrari's home hero fell down the order, finishing in fifth place. Even worse, following a disastrous qualifying, Charles Leclerc could not climb into a point-paying position, ending the GP in P11. The strategy did not help the Monegasque either, who got off the hard compound tire while the front runners were still on the soft tires, which compromised his race.
Further, down the grid, turn one brought about a bit of chaos. Lando Norris had a poor start, losing the position to Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver, eager to hold on to the third place he fought for in qualifying, tried to come back in the second turn, which caused a collision between the two British divers.
Keep in mind, it wasn't really anybody's fault, with the clash being a simple race incident caused by a domino effect, as Hamilton was forced to slow down by Sainz. Regardless, Norris incurred damage to his front wing and was forced to pit, which dropped him to the back of the grid, where he remained for the remainder of the race, finishing in P17.
However, Hamilton did not hold third for long, as Lance Stroll took the position in the next turn. Sadly for the Aston Martin driver, he lost the place, ending the race in P6. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, ended the race just behind him. Uncharacteristically, Alonso refused to battle for position, instead choosing the safest route. This entire debacle was followed by George Russell going off the track and taking the escape road in the chicane, which ended up netting him two positions.
By the end of the race, the two Mercedes drivers kept their noses clean and achieved a double podium, with Russell charging from P12 to P3 in a racing masterclass. This result is definitely one that will cheer up the team, proving the upgrades brought in Monaco are working well on the car, helping them in the battle with Aston Martin for second place in the Constructors Championship.
Then the race settled into somewhat of a rhythm. However, that does not mean no fighting took place, as the midfield saw quite a few overtakes and battles, most down the start-finish straight. This was an expected outcome, as changing the layout would allow cars to stay closer to each other prior to the start of the DRS zone.
The best example of how potent this DRS zone ended up being was Sergio Perez's overtake on Carlos Sainz. In the end, Perez had a great race, limiting the damage caused by his poor qualifying and finishing just outside the podium. However, despite his best efforts, he did not secure the fastest lap. That honor went to Verstappen, who, despite being cautioned against an attempt, ignored the warning and secured the third Grand Slam of his career.
To the dismay of the Tifosi, the Dutchman then built up a lead he would not let go of until the end of the Grand Prix, leading from start to finish, while Ferrari's home hero fell down the order, finishing in fifth place. Even worse, following a disastrous qualifying, Charles Leclerc could not climb into a point-paying position, ending the GP in P11. The strategy did not help the Monegasque either, who got off the hard compound tire while the front runners were still on the soft tires, which compromised his race.
Further, down the grid, turn one brought about a bit of chaos. Lando Norris had a poor start, losing the position to Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver, eager to hold on to the third place he fought for in qualifying, tried to come back in the second turn, which caused a collision between the two British divers.
Keep in mind, it wasn't really anybody's fault, with the clash being a simple race incident caused by a domino effect, as Hamilton was forced to slow down by Sainz. Regardless, Norris incurred damage to his front wing and was forced to pit, which dropped him to the back of the grid, where he remained for the remainder of the race, finishing in P17.
However, Hamilton did not hold third for long, as Lance Stroll took the position in the next turn. Sadly for the Aston Martin driver, he lost the place, ending the race in P6. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, ended the race just behind him. Uncharacteristically, Alonso refused to battle for position, instead choosing the safest route. This entire debacle was followed by George Russell going off the track and taking the escape road in the chicane, which ended up netting him two positions.
By the end of the race, the two Mercedes drivers kept their noses clean and achieved a double podium, with Russell charging from P12 to P3 in a racing masterclass. This result is definitely one that will cheer up the team, proving the upgrades brought in Monaco are working well on the car, helping them in the battle with Aston Martin for second place in the Constructors Championship.
Then the race settled into somewhat of a rhythm. However, that does not mean no fighting took place, as the midfield saw quite a few overtakes and battles, most down the start-finish straight. This was an expected outcome, as changing the layout would allow cars to stay closer to each other prior to the start of the DRS zone.
The best example of how potent this DRS zone ended up being was Sergio Perez's overtake on Carlos Sainz. In the end, Perez had a great race, limiting the damage caused by his poor qualifying and finishing just outside the podium. However, despite his best efforts, he did not secure the fastest lap. That honor went to Verstappen, who, despite being cautioned against an attempt, ignored the warning and secured the third Grand Slam of his career.
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