Max Verstappen again unbeatable. The Dutchman won the Spanish Grand Prix

Posted On: June 5, 2023

At the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona, Verstappen overtook seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by more than 20 seconds. Third place was won by the second driver of the Mercedes team, the Briton George Russell.

Verstappen, the 2021 and 2022 world champion, has already won five races this season – in Bahrain, Australia, the United States, Monaco and Spain. The other two – in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan – were won by his Mexico team-mate Sergio Perez.

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The Dutchman claimed his 40th career F1 victory. He increased his record by 26 points, because at 25 points in the race for victory he also added a bonus for the best lap time.

“It’s a great pleasure to drive this car, winning in Barcelona is really incredible. We had a great weekend and I hope this streak will continue throughout the season. He added that there had different tire strategies on track, but that his team’s was the most appropriate.

In Barcelona, Verstappen once again showed that he is currently the best racing driver in F1. The Dutchman, after taking pole position, led the race from start to finish, he was not even in danger for a moment. From the start he drove faster than his rivals, already on the second lap he set the fastest time of 1:20.402.

In the second half of the race, after changing tires, his advantage over his opponents exceeds 10 seconds, the Dutchman controls the course of the competition, he drives calmly, because he does not have to fear an attack on his position . In the end his advantage over the second Hamilton exceeded 20 seconds.

All the while behind Verstappen’s back, the battle for the other two podium places raged on. At the start, the Dutchman was followed by Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari and Canadian Lance Stroll of Aston Martin. But after just eight laps, Hamilton passed the Canadian and moved into third place. Sainz is second, but he is already 5 seconds behind the leader.

Hamilton moved up to second on lap 16 when Sainz stopped for a tire change. The Spaniard returned to the track in 9th position and then couldn’t break through to the top. In the end, he was fifth, more than 45 seconds behind Verstappen.

The Dutchman changed tires twice. The first time on lap 26 and he returned to the track as the leader, the second time on lap 52. Moreover, his advantage was significant enough that he returned to the track as the leader and reached the finish line first. The second member of the Red Bull team, the Mexican Sergio Perez, also rode well. He started from 11th position and finished the race in fourth position.

This time there was no Ferrari driver on the podium. Sainz finished fifth and Monegasque Charles Leclerc finished 11th.

In the end, Perez definitely sped up and started chasing after Russell. But the Briton was not surprised, he maintained his pace and more than 3 seconds ahead of the Mexican.

The satisfaction of leaving for Spain was not hidden in the Mercedes team. For the first time this season, Hamilton and Russell made it to the podium. “That was the plan, it’s good that we managed to fully implement it,” said team boss Toto Wolff. He added that he hopes to achieve similar results in future races.

The next round of the F1 World Championship, the Canadian Grand Prix, will take place on June 18.

Spanish GP results:

1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull) 1:27.57.940

2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain/Mercedes) lost 24.090 seconds

3. George Russell (UK/Mercedes) 32,389

4. Sergio Perez (Mexico/Red Bull) 35,812

5. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain/Ferrari) 45,698

6. Lance Stroll (Canada/Aston Martin) 1.03.320

7. Fernando Alonso (Spain/Aston Martin) 1:04:127

8. Esteban Ocon (France/Alpine-Renault) 1.09.242

9. Zhou Guanyu (China/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1,11,878

10. Pierre Gasly (France/Alpine-Renault) 1,13,530