The Formula 1 World Championship has a new leader: Max Verstappen. The Dutchman won the Spanish GP and maximized Charles Leclerc’s retirement due to a breakdown. They accompanied him on the podium Sergio Perezwho showed great team discipline, and a George Russell that continues to shine with a Mercedes that has returned.
Carlos Sainz It went really bad, again, and he had a spin, so 4th place tastes like gold. Especially since without Leclerc they were the only points for Ferrari. it was also a great day Fernando Alonso, who despite starting last was able to come back to the points zone. He finished 9th and, after four races adding 0, he did 2 more.
Exit: Sainz, wrong again; Magnussen destroys Hamilton
As it happened in other outings, Carlos Sainz he was stuck. The options of possible victory (which were already scarce) were left in those first meters, although he held up to 5th place (touch included with Sergio Perez) as he could.
Behind, Lewis Hamilton (who was the only one dating means) saw how Kevin Magnussen He destroyed his aspirations with a touch that made him puncture and, obviously, sent him to the back of the grid.
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while ahead charles leclerc I was trying to open space with a Max Verstappen who soon saw how his chances of victory were also going down the gravel. The Dutchman was the second driver to go off at turn 4, a critical point where moments before he had also gone off Carlos Sainz.
The fight between Verstappen and Russell… and the KO of Leclerc
George Russell he suddenly found himself second, but with a hungry Verstappen behind. The Dutchman began to suffer from DRS problems (something that already hampered him in qualifying) and was forced to attack the Mercedes the old-fashioned way, without the doping system to overtake.
The British, far from being intimidated, played it to the maximum to defend the position and made it clear that he is still a rider with many guts when it comes to ‘getting his elbows out’.
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What neither Red Bull nor Mercedes expected is that the first serious reliability problem for Leclerc’s Ferrari this season would show up now. The cries of the championship leader when he saw that the turbo of his F1-75 failed and forced him to leave when he was comfortably first they predicted an unexpected second part of the race.
Without Leclerc on the track, the fight to win was left in the hands of three drivers: Verstappen, Russell and a Pérez who had been asking for a pass for several laps.
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Verstappen takes the reins
The idea of maximizing the prize with the abandonment of Leclerc forced Red Bull to change the initial strategy to give primacy to Verstappen. They changed the Dutchman’s strategy, which together with Pérez’s warning that he comply with the team’s orders.
(CHRONICA IN DEVELOPMENT)
Time Table Spanish Grand Prix Race
Photos: Motor.es