The fight was intense between Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren), who confirms his status as the new main rival of the world championship leader.
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The Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Sunday June 23, offered a great strategic battle and new success for Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The three-time reigning world champion, however, had to battle with Lando Norris (McLaren), holding pole position and ultimately beaten after a game of musical chairs during the pit stops. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) completes the podium.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris did it again at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola (Italy) on May 1, where it wouldn’t have taken a few more laps for the Dutchman to maintain his victory against Lando Norris. The Briton relied this Sunday on staggered tire changes to try to blow away the laurels, for two seconds in vain. He still leaves with the best lap in the race and second place to move into the runner-up seat in the general classification, overtaking Charles Leclerc, fifth on the day’s finish line.
Starting from pole, the winner of the Miami Grand Prix slipped to third at the first turn, ceding the lead of the race to George Russell and losing his advantage gained the day before over Max Verstappen. Lando Norris only regained first place in the race when the Dutchman stopped on lap 18 and then on lap 45, before giving it up by stopping a few laps later each time. Apart from this discrepancy, the two teams had chosen the same soft-medium-soft tire strategy.
In the drivers’ standings, Super Max is now 69 points ahead of its new runner-up, Lando Norris. A lead similar to that of its manufacturer Red Bull, weighed down by the disappointing results of Sergio Perez (8th in Barcelona), who is 60 units ahead of Ferrari. The Scuderia, less flamboyant in Spain, still continues to collect points with the fifth and sixth places of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
A race which marks the return of Lewis Hamilton to the podium for the first time since the Mexican Grand Prix in October, his 198th career. Thanks to consistent racing, good stops and a daring overtake on Carlos Sainz, Sir Hamilton ended up getting the better of his teammate on lap 52, taking advantage of his soft tires against the hard ones of George Russell.
On the French side, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, both starting from the fourth row, finished 9th and 10th respectively, as in the previous Grand Prix in Canada. New valuable points for Alpine which confirm its best in several races. See you at the Spielberg circuit (Austria) from June 28 to repeat this progress and continue this series of Top 10s.