MAX VERSTAPPEN earned himself first place on the podium following a dramatic Grand Prix in Catalunya.
The Red Bull driver took full advantage of Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire from his lead with a “loss of power” during lap 27.
Sergio Perez and George Russell occupied second and third spot in the charts.
And the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton climbed from the pits of hell to snatch fifth which was incredible considering he had a punctured tyre on lap one.
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Russell hurts
George Russell has revealed Mercedes were “hurt” battling with Red Bull at time during the Spanish Grand Prix.
He said: “It hurt us a lot to be honest but when I had the Red Bulls in my mirrors all I was doing was everything to keep them behind.
“But it was an enjoyable couple of laps and I’m pleased to be able to bring it home for P3 and the points for the team.
“Well done to Max, he did a great job.”
What a race!
A win for Max.
Leclerc lost his power.
Podium finish for Russell.
Fifth for Hamilton after a puncture on the first lap.
And fourth for local lad Sainz after spinning out early.
Here’s how it finished in Barcelona…
- Verstappen
- Perez
- Russell
- Sainz
- Hamilton
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE SPANISH GP!
The Red Bull man wins his third race in a row to take the championship lead for the first time this season.
But he had to do it the hard way after experiencing DNS issues in the early stages.
Credit: Reuters
Issues force Hamilton back to P5
The team radios in to hand over some bad news that there seems to be some issue with the Mercedes.
Bono tells Hamilton not to defend if Sainz fights back and as a result the Ferrari man takes back P4.
The Silver Arrows man can be proud of his performance today.
Progress has been made.
Hamilton snatches P4!
Wow.
The Mercedes driver shows why he is a seven-time world champion as he wastes no time in getting past Sainz.
He said before the race he thinks the car is now capable of battling with the Ferrari and it seems to be true.
But nobody thought he would be overtaking one after suffering a puncture on Lap 1!
Bottas makes a mistake!
The Finnish driver goes too wide and allows Sainz through the gap before Hamilton also capitalises and moves up to P5.
What a drive this is from the Mercedes driver, those upgrades have definitely worked.
10 laps to go!
As expected, Perez takes the fastest lap off Hamilton with ease just moments after putting on new tyres.
But here is how podium looks as it stands:
- VER
- PER
- RUSS
Bottas follows in fourth but Sainz and Hamilton are gaining on the Alfa Romeo driver…
Hamilton takes the fastest lap
The Mercedes man shows still has it as he takes the fastest and an extra championship point.
However, teammate Russell and Red Bull’s Perez have just put on a new set of slick tyres as they attempt to snatch it off him.
Red Bull tell Perez to make way
The messages comes in that Perez is on a different strategy to Max and he should let him pass.
The Mexican replies: “That’s unfair, but ok.”
And just like that Verstappen takes the lead of the race and also the championship.
16 laps to go!
Lap 45 – Max pits to give Perez the lead
The Dutch driver hands the lead back over to his teammate as he pits for a fresh set of mediums.
Crucially he comes out in front of Russell so it’s still a Red Bull 1-2.
But will Perez hand back the lead?
With Leclerc’s retirement, if Max takes the chequered flag he will take the championship lead.
Lap 38 – Max takes the lead
Despite all his DRS problems earlier on in the race, the Dutchman now finds himself in the lead.
He was gaining on Russell before the Mercedes man pitted for fresh tyres.
It looked like he was going to have to fight his teammate Perez for the lead but a change of strategy sees the Mexican also sees pit.
Smart move by Red Bull.
They now have a two car buffer between themselves and Russell.
Lewis is on the move!
After a forced change of tyres on Lap 1, the Mercedes driver come in again early for his second stop.
And it seems to be working out as with the rest of the field also coming in, Hamilton is now up to sixth.
Not bad considering he was down to 18th at one stage!
Credit: AP Zhou forced into retirement
The Chinese driver follows Leclerc into retiring from the race following a technical issue.
And his Alfa Romeo team-mate Valteri Bottas has just been picked off by Verstappen for 3rd.
Lap 30 – Perez over takes Russell for the lead
We are creeping up to the half way stage in Barcelona and we have a new leader.
Red Bull driver Perez is currently on a one-stop strategy and has the tyres to get round the Mercedes for the lead.
Question will be whether the Mexican can hang out now until the end.
Leclerc loses power!
The Ferrari man yells down the radio as his Ferrari loses power.
He is straight into the pits and doesn’t come back out, meaning Russell takes the lead!
Leclerc’s race is over and it’s his first DNF of the season.
No doubt his championship dreams have taken a hit as a result.
Credit: AP
Excellent driving from Russell!
The Mercedes driver stays P2 after some superb driving to fend off Verstappen.
Max gets through at Turn one but Russell fights back after going wheel-to-wheel and squeezes back into second.
Unbelievable from the Silver Arrows newbie.
Lap 22 – Leclerc pits from the lead
The Ferrari heads into garage for his first pit stop of the race but with huge a huge lead he rejoins the track back in front.
Max meanwhile is still showing swearing down the radio to his team as his DRS isn’t opening despite him pressing it “over 50 times.”
Max still having DRS issues
The Red Bull driver was unable to challenge for pole yesterday after his DRS flap failed to open on his final flying lap.
But despite claiming the system had been fixed prior to the race, the team has radioed in to tell him it is still not working.
The Dutch man is effing and blinding in his cockpit. He knows he will need DRS if he is going to have any chance of winning this race.
Leclerc seizes the advantage
With Max spinning out, the Ferrari driver has built 14 second lead over Perez who has climbed up to P2 after Russell pitted for new tyres.
However, we may see that gap close up as Leclerc is yet to come in for a fresh set.
And now Verstappen goes off!
Almost a carbon copy Sainz’s spin, the Red Bull driver slides off track at turn four.
He manages to rejoin the race but is down to P4 and those stones would have not done his tyres any good.
Meanwhile, Russell is now up to 2nd with Perez in 3rd.
Hamilton’s had enough
After his dreadful start, the Mercedes man has asked his team over the radio to retire the car and save his engine.
It’s a staggering comment given there was so much hope they had turned a corner with their new upgrades this weekend.
Sainz Spins on Lap 7!
The Ferrari man loses grip and spins into the gravel, lucky he manages to get back on the track but he is down to 11th.
Nightmare for the Spaniard!
It’s his home race, the crowd would have not liked to see that.
Hamilton pits with a puncture!
It’s not the perfect start for the Mercedes driver who was looking to build on his P6 finish.
After coming together with Magnussen, he is forced to pit early which sees him come out 18th.
And it’s lights out!
Leclerc manages to hold off Verstappen at the first corner and holds onto the lead.
Russell has made his way up to P3 as Sainz’s poor start.
But Haas driver Kevin Magnussen spins into the gravel after his front left tyre tagged Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Credit: Reuters Formation Lap
The drivers set off on the formation lap to get their tyres going.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
