Max Verstappen won a wild Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Sergio Perez to secure a Red Bull one-two in Barcelona and go into the Drivers’ Championship lead. When pole-sitter Charles Leclerc was forced to retire due to a power unit failure, the Dutchman took advantage and held off George Russell until Perez was instructed to allow him through on fresher medium tyres during his final stint of the afternoon.
After the Red Bull driver and Carlos Sainz fell into the gravel in the first ten circuits, Leclerc kept Verstappen at bay and drove away to a large lead. However, the Monegasque driver was tragically forced to take an early bath when his engine failed soon before the halfway point, dealing a devastating blow to his aspirations of winning the end-of-season championship.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s slim chances of a podium finish were shattered on the first lap of the race when he collided with Kevin Magnussen. Despite having to deal with minor damage for the duration of the 66-lap race, the seven-time champion recovered remarkably well to finish sixth.
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3) George Russell (Mercedes)
4) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6) Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
7) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
8) Lando Norris (McLaren)
9) Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
10) Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)