Spanish Grand Prix – The Editor’s Top/Flop

TOP 3

1. Max Verstappen confirms once again but with difficulty

Max Verstappen emerged victorious this Sunday ahead of Lando Norris. The Dutchman got the better of the Briton and secured his seventh victory of the season. However, it was not an easy win as he had to deal with an especially aggressive McLaren. Despite the pressure, the triple world champion crossed the finish line 2.2 seconds ahead of pole man, Lando Norris. The Dutch driver has now claimed his fourth win at the Montmelo circuit after 2016, 2022, and 2023. Max Verstappen is solidifying his lead this season and is edging closer to another world championship title.

Once again, it was a complicated race, taking the lead in the 2nd lap saved us, this first opportunity with the DRS because my main rival was Lando Norris and we were able to create a gap in this first stint and it was this gap that I needed to win the race. After that, the car was clearly the fastest with better tire management. That’s why he got so close at the end. I was pushing to the maximum but I couldn’t push more with these tires because I didn’t have enough grip. The others catch up, we struggle a bit more but we have to push until the end and fortunately it was enough,” declared Max Verstappen to Canal+ microphone.

Lando Norris confirms.

Starting in pole position this weekend, Lando Norris paid a high price for his completely botched start. He lost important places right from the first turn, but once again, the Briton managed to get out of it perfectly. He managed to regain the advantage over his competitor George Russell, who made a masterful move at the first turn. The McLaren driver, after taking second place on the track, had one thing in mind, to catch up with Max Verstappen in the lead. By being very threatening, Lando Norris managed to shave off very important seconds, reducing the gap from 7 seconds to just 2.2 seconds in only ten laps.

Once again, the 24-year-old driver has convinced everyone. He has become the driver to fear on the track. Significant pressure that allows him to make clean overtakes and achieve more and more podium finishes.

« I made a bad start, I was stuck behind George Russell and Max Verstappen escaped. At the end of each stint we were fast but it wasn’t enough today. It’s a shame we should have won. This one is my fault », admitted the driver at the end of the race.

Alpine is reborn

The Spanish Grand Prix was the best since the beginning of the season for Alpine. A flawless weekend achieved by our two French drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who managed to place their two cars in the top 10. Pierre Gasly secured ninth place and Esteban Ocon took the tenth spot. Good results and finally points for the French team. This great performance during the Spanish weekend allowed the team to gain a position in the overall standings of the World Constructors’ Championship. Alpine overtakes Haas and now stands seventh with eight points. The upward trend seems to have started and a new event is approaching with the Austrian Grand Prix on June 30, an opportunity to confirm for our two drivers.

« For the moment, I think we can be very satisfied. It was a very good weekend. We had a good qualifying with both cars in the Top 10. Today, we managed to have a good race and score points with both cars. So it was positive. We managed to fight a bit with a McLaren and a Red Bull for a while. It’s a bit disappointing to finish eighth but we know we are making progress, which is the most important thing. It’s true that things worked much better here than we expected. So I think there are a lot of things to understand, but overall, we are heading in the right direction. So we hope that in Austria we can repeat what we are doing in these last races » said Pierre Gasly.

The Flop

1. Sergio Perez dropped

Sergio Perez seems to be going through a rough patch in the last few races. Starting eleventh on the grid and finishing eighth in the Spanish Grand Prix, Checo has been facing difficulties, especially since the weekend in Miami a few weeks ago. On the Spanish circuit, the Mexican had to fight more against himself than against the other competitors. What didn’t help during the Spanish weekend either was the degradation of his tires. With a track surface heavily degrading the tires, the Red Bull driver experienced some difficulty, especially in the DRS zone. The driver, who has extended his contract until 2026, will have the opportunity to bounce back this weekend on the famous Austrian circuit.

2. Ferrari in difficulty

Unfortunately, bad weekends are piling up for the two drivers of the Scuderia Ferrari. Starting fifth and sixth respectively on the Barcelona circuit, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line in the same position. The two drivers still tried to gain some important places by opting for a well-defined tire strategy. Unfortunately, it was not enough to outperform the Mercedes or the McLarens. A poor tire strategy that the two drivers of the Italian team will surely not reuse next weekend in Austria.

« Regarding our strategy, I think we did well to differentiate ourselves from the cars around us. We may have lost a bit of time between our two cars at the beginning of the race, but in the future, we will focus on our race pace to get the most out of our package during the next race. »

3. Aston Martin is regressing

The Spanish Grand Prix was an opportunity to see all the single-seaters pass the checkered flag, but there were disappointments, especially on the Aston Martin side. Fernando Alonso did not hide his annoyance since the team lost a place in the overall standings, leaving Alpine ahead. On Sunday, the green single-seaters did not shine, Fernando Alonso lost positions after being hit at the start. The driver finished twelfth while Lance Stroll settled for fourteenth place.