Verstappen overcomes DRS issues to seize victory, Perez takes P2 for maximum Red Bull points in Spain; heartbreak for Ferrari as Leclerc DNFs, elation for Mercedes as Russell podiums

In a highly volatile and entertaining Spanish Grand Prix this Sunday, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen went from extreme frustration with his car’s intermittent DRS problems and even an off track excursion in the first half of the race to the thrill of victory when the checkers flew to end this 66-lap contest. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, Ferrari and their lead driver Charles Leclerc suffered fierce disappointment when what looked like a sure victory turned instead into an ignominious DNF, when the Monegasque’s engine conked out unceremoniously not even halfway through. As the pole-sitting Leclerc, who was out in front by a seemingly insurmountable margin after the first round of pit stops, limped his stricken F1-75 back to the pits in despair, Mercedes’ George Russell inherited the lead, with the formerly P3 Vertsappen now promoted to P2 right on the Englishman’s tail. It was Verstappen’s fight with Russell over the several laps prior that exposed his Red Bull’s DRS issues, where the flap on the Dutchman’s car just wouldn’t stay open in a constant manner in the activation zones, as it is designed to do. That lack of extra DRS-induced speed in pursuit gave Russell the advantage in holding off Verstappen lap after lap, all the time making Max hotter and hotter under the collar on an already hot day in Barcelona.

With Leclerc now out of the picture and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez closing in on the dueling pair on fresh Medium Pirellis, the team decided to split their strategy and disengage Verstappen from both Russel and Perez, bringing the Number 1 car in on Lap 29 for the Soft tires instead. This also indicated the team were now seriously flirting with a seemingly radical 3-stop strategy for Verstappen, deviating from the accepted wisdom that a 2-stopper was the fastest way to get around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It also meant game on for  Perez to attack Russell for the race lead, which the Mexican did to fine effect on Lap 31, easily overtaking the Silver Arrow on his much fresher rubber. Another round of pits stops ensued when Russell, facing a repeat onslaught from Verstappen, pitted from P2, this second time for a set of the more durable Medium tires in an effort perhaps to go to the end and jump Perez in the pits. Perez responded a lap later, also putting on the Mediums to cover Russell’s maneuver. Meanwhile, Verstappen ran a rapid set of laps to close up on the top two and then dove to the pits on Lap 45. When he emerged on his own set of Mediums after the typically crisp Red Bull tire change, Verstappen had leapfrogged Russell for P2 and was under 6-seconds behind his race leading teammate. Verstappen continued to close in on Perez and the team gave the order for the Mexican to step aside and let their golden boy through on Lap 49. Unfair, cried Perez, but it was soon clear the team had made the right decision, as Vertsappn swanned away to an eventually dominant victory over 13-seconds to the good of his loyal wingman. Perez did have the consolation of not only taking P2 on the day but also setting the fastest lap of the race, thereby netting the bonus point and giving the Red Bull team the maximum Constructors points available on the day.

So, for Ferrari it was a day that went from great promise with their men starting from P1 and P3 on the grid to more than a minor disaster. With Leclerc’s DNF and Carlos Sainz’s salvaging a P4 finish after he suffered yet another spin into the gravel early in the race, something that has become an unfortunate theme for the Spaniard this season, the Scuderia were only able to score 12 points to Red Bull’s 44 on the day. That meant Verstappen overhauled Leclerc for the Drivers’ points lead and Red Bull vaulted ahead of Ferrari for the top spot in the all important Constructors’ Championship. Despite this year’s RB18’s somewhat deserved reputation for fragility, it is the Ferrari that suffered terminal engine woes that cost Leclerc a potential win and now all the momentum has swung Red Bull’s way. It’s still far too early to hit the panic button but mighty Maranello had better tighten things up before Red Bull really hit their stride. They’ll have only a week to suss things out before the next race in Monaco, a street circuit where Leclerc and Verstappen have both had their respective highs and lows

Perhaps sending yet another pang of nervousness team Ferrari’s way was the improved performance of the Mercedes duo this weekend. Finally coming to grips with the porpoising issues that have bedeviled them since the beginning of the year, Russell’s Silver Arrow was able to hold off the DRS-hobbled Verstappen if not really the fully fit car of Perez. But young George was certainly the best of the rest, running a canny race to take the last step on the podium in P3 ahead of Sainz’s allegedly more impressive Prancing Horse. Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton had an up and down adventure of his own under the hot Spanish sun, colliding with Haas’s Kevin Magnussen on the opening lap, which caused a puncture and sent the seven-time champ to the back of the field after a premature pit stop. While a despondent Hamilton mused about simply retiring the car to save the engine, the team bucked him up and Lewis was able to fight his way back up to within shouting distance of the podium. Hamilton was forced to concede P4 to Sainz with an engine cooling issue forcing him to nurse the car home on the final laps but he was still able to earn a valuable P5 on the day and things are looking a lot more optimistic for formerly mighty Mercedes and their fervid aspiration to compete on even terms with Ferrari and maybe even Red Bull going forward.

Top 10 finishers of the Spanish GP:

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in but a week’s time — the venerable Monaco Grand Prix, a great motorsport tradition on Memorial Day Weekend along with the Indianapolis 500. It will be interesting to see if this new generation of F1 car can actually pass on the narrow city roads of the principality. Equally intriguing will be to find out how native son Leclerc recovers from today’s crushing disappointment. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!