Spanish Grand Prix – Race: Luck smiled upon Verstappen

The departure

Despite a great start from Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc managed to hold the inside line into the first turn to retain the lead of the race. The other Ferrari, driven by Carlos Sainz, was slightly more unsettled. The Spaniard lost two positions to George Russell and Sergio Perez. Faced with this poor start, driver number 55 found himself under pressure from Lewis Hamilton.

It was the seven-time world champion who lost everything when the lights went out. Failing to overtake Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, the Briton’s line was compromised, leaving him vulnerable to Kevin Magnussen. The Danish driver then tried to go around the outside of the Mercedes. But the two drivers collided, relegating both men to the back of the pack. Lewis Hamilton even had to make a pit stop due to a puncture caused by the incident.

A 4-piegeur bend

On the 7th lap, Carlos Sainz lost control of his car at the entry of turn 4 and ended up beached in the gravel. Fortunately for the Spanish driver, unlike Australia or Imola where he got stuck in the gravel, the Ferrari driver managed to free himself.

Two laps later, it was Max Verstappen who had a little excursion into the gravel of the same corner. A costly and rare mistake for the Dutchman, as he lost a position to George Russell’s Mercedes and his teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican let the 2021 world champion pass to try and overtake Russell. Unfortunately for the Red Bull team, a DRS issue kept Verstappen stuck behind the Mercedes for several laps. However, this provided a long and exciting battle for the spectators.

The race leader’s position is shaken up.

While Charles Leclerc led the race with authority from the start, a engine problem on the 27th lap forced the Monegasque to retire in the pits. With Russell now in the lead, Max Verstappen decided to attempt an undercut on the British driver on the 29th lap. This pit stop was also an opportunity for Sergio Perez to get closer to car number 63, before overtaking him on the 31st lap of the race.

On the 36th lap of the race, George Russell stopped at the pit, allowing the two Red Bulls to take the lead of the race. On the 48th lap, Sergio Perez was instructed by his team to let his teammate pass. One lap later, the Mexican complied, allowing Verstappen to race towards his 4th victory of the season.

This Red Bull double allows Verstappen to take the lead in the championship ahead of Charles Leclerc and the Austrian team to lead the constructors’ championship.

Comebacks in Spain

Starting last on the grid after changing engine components, Fernando Alonso had a lot of overtakes to make if he wanted to secure a points finish for his many fans who came to support him in Barcelona. After just the 2nd lap of the race, the two-time world champion was already in 15th place. By the 11th lap of the race, the Spanish driver had climbed up to 12th place.

This confirmed Alpine’s good form in race pace. Indeed, Esteban Ocon, starting from 12th, the Frenchman was in 9th position after 2 laps of the race. By the fifth lap, after overtaking Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher, the winner of the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix found himself in seventh position.

With Esteban Ocon in 7th and Fernando Alonso in 9th, Alpine scored 8 points in Spain. Thus, gaining points against rivals such as McLaren and AlphaTauri.

Despite his small mistake at the beginning of the race, Carlos Sainz managed to climb up the pack and finish in 4th position. A position gifted by Lewis Hamilton after he had to ease off the accelerator to preserve fuel. While the seven-time world champion stated he wanted to preserve his engine, meaning to retire, after his collision with Kevin Magnussen, it was ultimately a good result that welcomed the British driver as he crossed the finish line. Russell’s 3rd position and Hamilton’s 5th confirm the effectiveness of the improvements made by Mercedes.