Spanish Grand Prix: Too good Piastri beats Norris, Verstappen implodes

From the moment the lights went off, Piastri was lightning quick off the line, easing into the lead from Turn 1 onwards and thereafter proceeded to control the race in Barcelona to claim his fifth win of the season. The Australian extended his lead from three points post-race to ten over teammate Lando Norris when the chequered flew to end the 66-lap race today.

The Englishman kept his teammate in sight, around 3 to 4 seconds up the road, but never had an attack in his arsenal to launch at Piastri on the day. Once again, the balance of power pendulum, which went Lando's way in Monaco a week ago, today swung to Oscar's side of the garage.

There was some cat and mouse action after the halfway mark, with Norris closing the gap to a couple of seconds before Piastri ramped up his pace, and kept that lead in the three-second zone for most of the afternoon. Total control.

Then came the Safety Car when Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli again found himself in the kitty litter, this time through no fault of his own. But to DNFs in a row make this a forgettable triple header for the Italian.

As they cleared the broken Mercedes, and the pit stops were made the whole field emerged on Pirelli red band Soft tyres, with Verstappen on new Hards as they were unleashed on lap 59 for a six-lap sprint to the end.

Game over for the Dutchman, as Piastri checked out with Norris chasing, as the McLarens waved 'ciao' to Leclerc, who got past Verstappen on the straight, but no chance, a huge moment for the Red Bull allowed the Ferrari past. Pirelli Hards versus Softs equals no contest despite Max Magic at the wheel.

At the sharp end, Piastri again had it all under control, as he kept the edge over Norris, the pair of McLarens in another league. Leclerc held station, dropping about a second per lap, with George Russell and Verstappen in a slugfest that got physical, even ugly.

Verstappen was not shy to ram the Mercedes when told to cede the position he took under dubious circumstances. Russell crossed the line in P4 with Verstappen P5, but a ten-second penalty for obvious shenanigans dropped the #1 Red Bull to P10.

This is a huge blow to Verstappen's title ambitions, which will be a relief for the championship leader Piastri, who reported in parc ferme after his seventh F1 career victory: "A bit of a surprise to see Max try the three-stop and it nearly worked for him. A great weekend overall.

"The pace was really good, we can turn it on when we needed to. Just very proud of the work we did this weekend. It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. A superb weekend," declared Piastri.

In the other Papaya car, Norris recovered from a sluggish start relative to the top two. But a dozen laps into the race had restored the McLaren one-two with a neat overtake on Verstappen who put up no resistance.

Norris said after the race: "Oscar drove a very good race today. I didn't quite have the pace to match him but we gave it our best shot. It was a good fun race, and to finish one-two is even better!"

With Verstappen doomed on the wrong (Hard) tyre for the final six-lap sprint to the end, he tried to keep Leclerc at bay, and then went on an ill-advised rampage on Russell that cost him big points today. Maybe P3 was not going to happen, but P4 might've been there for the taking had a level head prevailed when it mattered for the final ten minutes of what was an underwhelming, mundane race.

Russell finished P4, which is where he started from on a day when rookie Mercedes teammate Antonelli suffered another DNF, making it three out of three during this triple header.

Nico Hülkenberg produced a strong recovery after a poor Qualifying for Sauber to take P5, his best points haul since Italy 2019 with Renault. Today, the German veteran made excellent progress from P6 on the grid. By Lap 5, he had already gained five places and broken into the top 10.

Leclerc finishing on the podium from P7 on the grid was a strong showing, while Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton will not be happy with a tough afternoon in which his P5 on the grid ended with P6 in the race. Beaten by a Sauber has to hurt, but it is the reality the Tifosi live with despite having one of the best driver line-ups in their history.

Leclerc summed up his afternoon in Spain: "It was a battle for track position to get the slipstream. Max wanted to bring me towards the inside and I didn't want to go there, so I tried to push him there. I tried to push him to the left, there was a bit of contact but fortunately no consequences.

"I'm really happy. I sacrificed qualifying in order to have better tyres. I didn't know if it would pay off but it did. I think P4 in a normal race would have been our position. With the Safety Car we got lucky," admitted Leclerc.

Standout rookie Isack Hadjar was the best-placed Red Bull driver after Verstappen's penalty dropped the Dutch ace down to P10. With a solid weekend and a run to P7 on Sunday, the Racing Bulls driver is making a strong case to replace Yuki Tsunoda, who has failed miserably as Red Bull's 'solution' to their second driver crisis. The Japanese driver was 13th.

Liam Lawson, in the fourth Red Bull-backed car, was P11. The New Zealander had his fair share of 'rubbing is racing' moments.

Pierre Gasly turned a strong Qualifying show into a solid drive to P8 for Alpine, while their rookie Franco Colapinto spent much of the race lost in Nowhereland, labouring to P15.

It took Fernando Alonso nine races to open his points account this season, with P9 his reward after a feisty and typically gutsy race on home soil. He was the only Aston Martin in the mix today, as Lance Stroll withdrew from the Grand Prix after qualifying on Saturday. Citing a wrist injury for missing his 175th GP start.

Piastri got a perfect launch to lead the Spanish Grand Prix into Turn 1. Verstappen made a ballsy move around the outside of Norris to snatch second, while Russell briefly threatened but was pushed wide, with Antonelli cutting the chicane and rejoining in the midfield. Hamilton overtook Russell into Turn 1, and Leclerc followed through a few corners later. That meant both Ferraris got the better of the Mercedes drivers, with Hamilton up to fourth and Leclerc into fifth.

Lap 2: Piastri could not break away initially, with Verstappen staying within one second and using DRS.

Lap 3: The Red Bull driver slipped out of DRS range as Piastri opened up a 1.2s lead. Norris remained within 1.7s of Verstappen.
Hamilton maintained fourth, a second clear of Leclerc, with Russell just behind in sixth. Antonelli dropped to the midfield after his off-track excursion.

Lap 5: Running in sixth, Russell complained over team radio: “These ***** are moving under braking today. What is going on!?” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fired back: “George, concentrate.”
Local favourite Alonso slipped out of the points positions, while Nico Hulkenberg made a stunning start, gaining five places to move into the top 10.

Lap 6: The Australian driver pulled three seconds clear of Verstappen, who was now just 1.2s ahead of Norris.

Lap 7: Alex Albon came in for a new front wing after sustaining damage on the opening lap, dropping him to the back of the field.
Leclerc got a strong run down the main straight but Hamilton defended smartly. Ferrari appeared ready to consider team orders with the top three pulling clear.

Lap 9: Leclerc had a look into Turn 1, but Hamilton shut the door. Still, Leclerc was losing time behind his team-mate.

Lap 10: Ferrari instructed Hamilton to let Leclerc through, and he obliged at Turn 1. However, both were now over five seconds adrift of Norris.

Lap 11: With Piastri pulling away, Norris closed in on Verstappen who radioed in saying he had “no grip compared to them.” Norris sat comfortably in DRS range.
Hulkenberg pitted from P10 to try an undercut on Gasly. Alpine responded immediately and brought Gasly in, who rejoined just ahead of the Sauber.

Lap 12: Norris dived to the inside at Turn 1, forcing Verstappen to defend. A move looked inevitable.

Lap 13: McLaren’s one-two was re-established as Norris breezed past Verstappen, who offered no defence. Piastri, meanwhile, was four seconds up the road on fresher tyres.

Lap 14: The Spaniard went off at Turn 5 while battling Bortoleto, losing time but managing to rejoin the race without damage.
Verstappen was the first of the front-runners to pit, rejoining in eighth.

Lap 15: Norris and Piastri continue to trade identical lap times at the front. Neither McLaren has shown any sign of pitting as they manage the gap to the rest of the field.

Lap 17: Hamilton pits from fifth place and rejoins in ninth, narrowly ahead of Bortoleto. The early stop is aimed at covering the threat of an undercut from cars behind and possibly pressuring Leclerc.

Lap 18: Verstappen overtakes Antonelli with a bold move around the outside at Turn 11 to move up to fourth. Antonelli has yet to pit, while Verstappen continues to push hard on fresh tyres. Leclerc pits from fourth and comes out in seventh, with Lawson splitting the two Ferraris. Leclerc had been nine seconds adrift of Norris before stopping.

Lap 19: Verstappen passes Russell with ease to take third place. The Red Bull driver is now 16 seconds behind Norris in second.
Running in eighth, Hamilton questions the timing of his stop over team radio. His engineer explains it was to protect against an undercut from behind.

Lap 21: Russell pits for a new set of medium tyres and rejoins in seventh place. He is five seconds behind Hamilton and expected to close the gap quickly.

Lap 22: Norris pits from second place and rejoins in third, nine seconds behind race leader Max Verstappen. Norris has an eight-lap tyre advantage over the Red Bull. Antonelli also pits and returns to the track in eighth, just behind Gasly.

Lap 23: Piastri pits from the lead and hands position to Verstappen. Piastri switches to medium tyres and rejoins six seconds behind the Red Bull, with Norris a further five seconds back.

Lap 24: Antonelli uses his fresher tyres to pass Gasly for seventh. Behind them, Isack Hadjar overtakes Nico Hulkenberg to take ninth.

Lap 25: Piastri is only matching Verstappen’s pace despite being on fresher tyres. The gap between them holds at 5.6 seconds.

Lap 26: Lawson attempts to overtake Albon around the outside for 12th, but the pair make contact, damaging Albon’s front wing. The move is under investigation following a previous incident where Albon cut the escape road to keep position.

Lap 27: Albon is handed a 10-second time penalty for the earlier incident with Lawson. Although told to retire, Albon stays out to serve the penalty. He is also under investigation for the second collision. Meanwhile, Leclerc is the fastest driver on track, just 4.5 seconds behind Norris.

Lap 28: Hulkenberg overtakes Gasly to move up to ninth place in what could be a strong points haul for Sauber.

Lap 29: Albon retires from the race, but not before receiving a second 10-second penalty, which may carry over to Canada unless served.

Lap 30: Verstappen pits from the lead, confirming his three-stop strategy. He rejoins just ahead of Hamilton in fourth, with eight seconds to make up to Leclerc.

Lap 31: Lawson dives down the inside of Bearman at Turn 1 for P10 but misjudges the move, resulting in contact. Bearman continues but Lawson may face a penalty.

Lap 32: Verstappen sets a new fastest lap and closes the gap to Leclerc by two seconds. Red Bull’s three-stop strategy puts pressure on McLaren.

Lap 35: Norris is warned over team radio that Verstappen is a threat. He is told: “Leclerc is 4.9 behind. Verstappen is eight. Verstappen will be in our race. Keep finding some pace.”

Lap 36: Verstappen overtakes Leclerc down the main straight to take third. He is now six seconds behind Norris and lapping faster.

Lap 37: Norris takes a second out of Piastri’s lead. The gap drops to under three seconds as the McLaren drivers begin to converge again.

Lap 39: Russell closes to within two seconds of Hamilton in the fight for fifth. He is told to push, but replies that he’s already giving it everything.

Lap 40: Norris sets the fastest lap and cuts the gap to Piastri to 2.5 seconds. He’s also lapping quicker than Verstappen, who runs five seconds back in third.

Lap 41: Leclerc becomes the first of the front-runners to make a final stop. He switches to a new set of mediums and rejoins in sixth, 11 seconds behind Russell.

Lap 42: Russell pits from fifth in an attempt to undercut Hamilton. He rejoins in seventh in clear air. Ferrari chooses not to respond immediately.

Lap 43: Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen all lap within a tenth of each other. The top three are covered by 6.5 seconds as final stops loom.

Lap 44: Ferrari keeps Hamilton out as Russell begins his charge on fresher tyres. Hamilton will hope his tyre advantage pays off later.

Lap 45: Antonelli steps aside for Russell at Turn 11, the two on alternate strategies. Russell’s out-lap on softs is 2.5 seconds quicker than his last lap on mediums.

Lap 46: Piastri pulls clear of Norris again. The lead extends to nearly five seconds, with Verstappen still four seconds behind Norris.

Lap 47: Hamilton suffers a slow pit stop of 4.9 seconds. He rejoins in seventh, six seconds behind Antonelli.

Lap 48: Verstappen pits for a third time and rejoins into traffic behind Tsunoda and Ocon. Tsunoda moves aside and Verstappen loses minimal time.

Lap 49: Norris responds and boxes for his final stop. A clean 2.3-second stop sees him emerge one second ahead of Verstappen in the fight for second.

Lap 50: Piastri pits one lap later and retains the lead. He rejoins with a near four-second gap over Norris, who now has Verstappen closing fast in third.

Lap 51: Norris pulls more than one second clear of Verstappen, moving out of DRS range and holding second position securely for now.

Lap 52: Bearman and Lawson battle hard down the main straight. Bearman runs wide and nearly collects Norris, but the McLaren escapes unscathed. Bearman then delays Verstappen into Turn 5, restoring Norris’s advantage.

Lap 55: Piastri leads by three seconds from Norris, with Verstappen a further 2.5 seconds behind. All three are on similar tyre life heading into the closing stages.
Antonelli goes off into the gravel and triggers a Safety Car. his DNF appears to be the result of an engine failure.
The field bunches up as a rare Spanish Grand Prix neutralisation sets up a thrilling finish.

Lap 56: Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen all dive into the pits under the Safety Car. McLaren execute a clean double stack, keeping Norris ahead of Verstappen. Piastri and Norris switch to softs, while Verstappen takes a new set of hards.

Lap 56: Verstappen questions the tyre call over team radio, asking: “Why are we on a hard?” Red Bull respond that it was their only available option, highlighting the limitation of the three-stop strategy.

Here is the final segment in your Lap-by-Lap countdown style, using only surnames and structured to your exact format:

Lap 58: The Safety Car remains out as lapped cars begin to unlap themselves. All drivers in the top 10 are on softs, except Verstappen who is on the hards.

Lap 59: The field continues to close up behind the Safety Car. A restart is expected on the next lap.

Lap 60: The Safety Car is coming in at the end of the lap. A six-lap sprint to the finish awaits.

Lap 61: Verstappen lights up the rears out of the final corner and nearly spins. Leclerc takes advantage to move into third. Verstappen then cuts the chicane to stay ahead of Russell. Piastri still leads from Norris.
Verstappen complains over the radio, accusing Leclerc of contact: “He rammed into me. He did the same. That’s a penalty!”

Lap 63: Piastri pulls 1.5 seconds clear of Norris in the battle for the win. Norris needs something special in the closing laps.

Lap 64: Verstappen is instructed to let Russell through. As Russell moves to the outside at Turn 5, Verstappen appears to drive into him. Contact is made in a bizarre incident.
Verstappen then allows Russell through at Turn 13. Russell moves up to fourth, Verstappen drops to fifth.

Lap 65: Hulkenberg passes Hamilton for sixth in a strong result for Sauber. Hamilton drops to seventh.

Lap 66: Piastri crosses the line to win the Spanish Grand Prix. Norris finishes second, falling 10 points behind Piastri in the championship. Leclerc completes the podium for Ferrari.

Post-Race: Verstappen is handed a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. He drops from fifth to 10th, promoting Hulkenberg to fifth in a brilliant result for Sauber.