Max Verstappen holds off Lando Norris surge to win F1 Spanish Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix with a strong performance for Red Bull after being chased to the line by the hugely competitive McLaren of Lando Norris, who was disappointed he could manage only second in a very quick car. In a tense, gripping race in Barcelona Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were third and fourth, another good result for the team, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth.

The win will be one Verstappen and Red Bull will be enormously pleased with after a weekend on a circuit where they had expected to be at their best but were put under immense pressure by Norris and McLaren. Verstappen has acknowledged he believes the team’s early season dominance has gone and to nonetheless grind out victory will be welcomed at the team.

Given that Barcelona is considered a fundamental and demonstrative test of how well a car’s aerodynamics are working, Red Bull still have an edge but it is far from where they were when the season opened. Indeed but for Norris losing two places at the start and being held up behind Russell for the opening part of the race, the win might well have been his, suggesting McLaren are very close if not on a par now with Red Bull.

Verstappen now has seven wins from ten races this season, while his third victory in a row in Spain is the 61^st of his career. For all that the title fight is more competitive than the cakewalk the Dutchman enjoyed last year, he still retains an iron grip on the championship.

After ten rounds Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship by 69 points from Norris who has now passed Leclerc to take second place.

Russell made a blistering start from fourth and late-braked and swept round the outside into turn one to take the lead brilliantly, while Norris, although starting on pole, was also passed by Verstappen who moved into second, it was the moment Norris acknowledged had cost him the race.

Russell held the lead only briefly however as Verstappen, aware he needed clean air to manage his tyre wear best, came back to take the lead in turn one on the second lap. With the advantage out front and Norris tucked up behind Russell, Verstappen immediately opened up a gap.

As the first stops of a two-stop race began, Norris opted to stay out in order to try and chase down Verstappen. The Dutchman came in on lap 17 but Norris and McLaren remained out, going long, losing time to the teams that had pitted but looking to have fresher rubber to make up the places. They brought him in on lap 23 and as the stops shook out, he was fifth behind Carlos Sainz, with Verstappen maintaining his lead.

The British driver on fresh rubber swiftly passed Sainz for fourth on lap 27 and then caught and passed Hamilton on lap 31 for third. He caught Russell by lap 35 and the pair went wheel to wheel, changing places three times across the lap with Norris finally emerging on top at turn six.

It was grand stuff, and he set off after Verstappen, who had a nine-second lead, with 30 laps to go. Norris looked quicker despite having pounded his rubber moving up to second. He was over a half a second a lap quicker and the gap came tumbling down.

When Verstappen pitted again on lap 44 it was down to just over four seconds and Norris charged as he put in the fastest lap of the race. He wanted to stay out again in an attempt to win the race rather than settle for a podium.

He came in on lap 46, a slightly slow stop which was costly, and emerged, crucially, just in front of George Russell, with an eight-second deficit to Verstappen and 19 laps to go. An absolute charge to the finish ensued.

Verstappen was told Norris was closing and the gap was down to just over five seconds and the Dutchman responded to begin matching his rival’s times more closely.

It was enough but he had been absolutely harried once more to the flag and reminded that the McLaren is ominously close to equalling the Red Bull’s performance, as Norris took the line just 2.2 seconds in arrears.

Sainz was sixth for Ferrari, Oscar Piastri seventh for McLaren, Sergio Pérez eighth for Red Bull and Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ninth and tenth for Alpine.