Oscar Piastri claimed a commanding victory at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, leading teammate Lando Norris in a sensational McLaren 1-2.
The win, Piastri’s fifth of the season, capped a race of high tension and strategic intrigue at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — not least for Max Verstappen, whose fiery afternoon ended in a dramatic post-race penalty that dropped him from fifth to 10th.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium, but up and down the field, there were a significant number of noteworthy performances, and results.
Spanish Grand Prix - Race results
McLaren Set the Pace Early
Piastri got away cleanly from pole, defending his lead into Turn 1, while Verstappen swept around the outside of Norris to snatch second. But it was clear early on that McLaren had the edge in overall pace, and by lap 13, Norris had breezed past Verstappen into Turn 1, reclaiming second.
The Dutchman responded with an aggressive early pit stop for soft tyres in a bid to undercut both McLarens. It worked — temporarily. Verstappen emerged in the net lead after McLaren pitted its drivers on laps 22 and 23. However, his tyre advantage was short-lived.
Struggling with a lack of grip and reported clutch issues, Verstappen was quickly shuffled back to a three-stop strategy. Meanwhile, Norris managed front-left tyre graining but remained in control behind Piastri, maintaining a consistent four-second gap to the leader.
Safety Car Adds Late Drama
The race had largely settled by the halfway mark, with Leclerc running a distant fourth, and the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Russell in close quarters behind. Verstappen continued to apply pressure to Norris, but his worn mediums eventually lost effectiveness, prompting another pit stop on lap 50 — his third of the day — for used softs.
However, just as the McLarens looked to consolidate their positions, a technical issue sent Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli off track, triggering a full safety car.
Most of the field pitted again — McLaren for a third time, Verstappen for a fourth — but Red Bull, out of fresh rubber, put Verstappen on the slower hard compound tyres, a call that left the Dutchman fuming.
When racing resumed on lap 62, Piastri aced the restart while Verstappen’s grip issues came to a head. A massive slide out of the final corner gave Leclerc the run on him, with the two cars making slight contact on the main straight. Russell also attacked into Turn 1, forcing Verstappen off at the escape road.
Told to cede the position, Verstappen exploded on the radio. After appearing to let Russell through at Turn 4, he seemed to retaliate, bumping the Mercedes in what looked like a deliberate move. The stewards promptly launched an investigation.
Piastri Extends Championship Lead as Verstappen Falls
Unbothered by the chaos behind, Piastri calmly led Norris home by 2.4 seconds to take McLaren’s first 1-2 finish since Monza 2021. The result also extended Piastri’s championship lead over Norris to 10 points.
“It was a near-perfect race from start to finish,” said a jubilant Piastri after the flag.
Leclerc rounded out the podium with a clean, if solitary, drive to third. Russell was classified fourth, elevated by Verstappen’s post-race 10-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike driving,” which demoted him to 10th.
In a standout performance, Nico Hülkenberg claimed fifth for Sauber after passing Hamilton late in the race. Isack Hadjar impressed again in seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in eighth. Fernando Alonso finally scored his first points of the season on home soil, finishing ninth.
Tension Mounts for Red Bull
-race focus fell squarely on Verstappen, who cut a furious figure throughout the second half of the race. His penalty capped off a turbulent day that saw Red Bull’s strategy unravel and their lead driver spiral emotionally after falling out of podium contention.
Meanwhile, it was a miserable outing for Williams. Alex Albon retired after a collision with Liam Lawson, and Logan Sargeant failed to feature in the top 10. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was a non-starter due to recurring wrist pain.
As F1 leaves Barcelona, the title fight has taken on a distinctly papaya hue — but Verstappen’s meltdown may prove just as significant in the season’s defining narrative.
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