BARCELONA, Spain — Oscar Piastri triumphed over Lando Norris to take victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. The race was notable for a controversial incident late on, where Max Verstappen appeared to deliberately drive into George Russell.
Piastri`s flawless drive from the front extended his championship lead over Norris to 10 points, helping him regain momentum after his teammate`s victory at the Monaco Grand Prix a week prior.
However, the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, significantly influenced the race`s narrative, showcasing both moments of brilliance and contentious behavior.
Early on, Verstappen`s exceptional driving was apparent as he challenged the McLarens with an aggressive three-stop strategy, which initially put the orange cars under significant pressure.
However, a late Safety Car period dramatically changed his fortunes. Red Bull fitted him with the less favored hard tire compound, making him vulnerable to rivals behind.
At the restart, Verstappen nearly lost control entirely. He then lost a place to Charles Leclerc of Ferrari on the main straight following contact between their cars. Further contact occurred at Turn 1 with Mercedes` George Russell. Verstappen managed to hold the position against Russell but only by going off track and using the Turn 1 exit road.
Following instructions to concede fourth position back to Russell, Verstappen appeared to slow, but then turned back into the side of the Mercedes as Russell drew alongside.
Russell successfully completed the pass a few corners later.
Race stewards swiftly penalized Verstappen, applying a 10-second penalty at the finish line, which demoted him to 10th place. He also received three penalty points, bringing him within one point of a potential race ban.
After the race, Verstappen declined to provide details about the incident to the media. Conversely, Russell told Sky Sports, `I`ve seen those kinds of moves before in simulator games and go-karting, but never in Formula 1.`
`Ultimately, we finished fourth while he finished 10th, so I`m truly unsure what he was thinking. In the moment, it felt deliberate.`
`Max is an amazing driver whom many people admire, so it`s a shame when things like that continue to happen. It was completely unnecessary and never seems to benefit him.`
Verstappen`s penalty elevated Nico Hülkenberg of Sauber to an impressive and perhaps unexpected fifth position.
Hülkenberg had previously overtaken Lewis Hamilton, who had a relatively uneventful race in the other Ferrari, on track in the laps following the restart.
Isack Hadjar continued his promising season by finishing seventh, ahead of Pierre Gasly from Alpine.
Local favorite Fernando Alonso finished ninth, securing his first points of the season. This was a welcome boost for Aston Martin, particularly after his teammate Lance Stroll`s unexpected withdrawal on Saturday evening.
