McLaren faster, but Red Bull wins

He’s done it again: Max Verstappen has won the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix and clinched his seventh GP victory of the year. The Dutchman started from second place on the grid with a lead of just 2.219 seconds over pole-setter Lando Norris. And that despite the fact that Red Bull once again did not have the fastest car, at least according to Norris.

The key to victory, according to the crystal clear tenor after the race, was the start and the opening laps. Verstappen got off to a better start than Norris. The Brit pushed Verstappen slightly onto the grass, but Verstappen still managed to get next to the McLaren driver on the way to Turn 1. However, both had not reckoned with George Russell, who started from fourth place and passed them both on the outside.

“I had to do a bit of rallying on the straight and go onto the grass, which cost me a bit of momentum,” reported Verstappen. Although Norris’s pushing against Verstappen was noted by the race director, the stewards did not see any reason for an investigation.

Regardless of this action and the Russell maneuver, the fact that Verstappen still managed to overtake Norris on the inside of Turn 1, who dropped back to P3, can be seen as decisive for the rest of the race. Mercedes turned out not to be a serious opponent for Verstappen, and the Dutchman overtook Russell in turn 1 on the third lap.

Mercedes driver George Russell leads after the start ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and pole setter Lando Norris in the McLaren
Max Verstappen won the position against Lando Norris at the start, Photo: LAT Images

“What decided the race was the beginning,” Verstappen also clarified after the race. “I took the lead on lap 2 (lap 3; ed.) and so I had my buffer in the first stint, where I was able to increase the gap a bit. Because after that I had to drive a pretty defensive race.”

Unlike Verstappen, Norris was unable to overtake Russell quickly. Until the Mercedes driver’s first pit stop, Norris was stuck behind his compatriot and was already more than five seconds behind Verstappen.

As the race progressed, Norris was able to close the gap again and again with his later pit stops than Verstappen on fresher tires, but he never got into the DRS window of the three-time world champion. The burden of the first stint was too heavy. “Lando and McLaren were very, very fast today, especially in terms of tire wear,” Verstappen admitted. “It seemed as if they were always very, very fast on the last few laps of the stint.”

Leader Max Verstappen in the Red Bull
After the early lead, Verstappen was able to control the race, Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

“But we did everything well,” said Verstappen, full of praise for his Red Bull team. “We drove a pretty aggressive strategy, but fortunately it paid off in the end.” Even a small scare in turn 7 and an inconsistent tire, which Verstappen complained about during the second stint, could not spoil the world champion’s plans.

After the race, Verstappen promptly received praise for his team: “I would rate Max’s performance as superior,” said Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko. “It was unbelievable, 66 laps at the absolute limit.” The Red Bull officials, including Marko and team boss Christian Horner, also unsurprisingly considered the start and the early overtaking maneuver to be decisive for the race.

Despite Red Bull’s renewed victory, one thing is becoming clear in Barcelona: Red Bull’s unprecedented dominance of last year is definitely over. “It’s very close with McLaren, after that there was an 18-second gap to the others. We have to be careful to stay up there,” Horner told his team.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in the paddock
Christian Horner calls for vigilance from Red Bull, Photo: LAT Images

One thing is certain, however: Undeterred by all this, Verstappen is continuing to extend his lead in the World Championship. The 26-year-old is now 69 points ahead of Lando Norris, who has pushed Charles Leclerc down to second place. Red Bull is also clearly ahead in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship, with a 60-point lead over Ferrari.

While Verstappen and Red Bull won in Barcelona, ​​Lando Norris had to cope with another narrow defeat this season. Find out what the 24-year-old had to say about his missed victory here:

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *