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Verstappen Created Large Enough Gap To See Out The Win
Verstappen Secures Victory Amid Tactical Battle
Max Verstappen clinched victory at the 2024 F1 Spanish Grand Prix, staying ahead of a determined Lando Norris despite a late-race surge. Verstappen, who started second, made a decisive move into the first corner to take the lead from polesitter Norris. However, it was George Russell who initially stole the show at the start. The Mercedes driver launched from fourth on the grid to take the lead before Verstappen reclaimed the top spot by lap three.
Early Race Dynamics
Russell’s stellar start saw him dart to the outside line. The Briton overtook both Verstappen and Norris as the trio navigated the first corner. Despite his strong start, Russell couldn’t maintain the lead for long. Verstappen, utilizing his Red Bull’s superior pace and DRS, breezed past the Mercedes on the third lap and began to establish a gap.
Strategic Pit Stops Define the Race
The race’s tactical nature came to the fore as Verstappen and Norris executed different strategies. Verstappen pitted early on lap 17 to switch from softs to mediums. Norris opted to stay out longer, pitting six laps later to ensure his medium tires were fresher for the final stint. This strategic move kept the gap between the two fluctuating, with Norris steadily reducing Verstappen’s lead.
Norris’s Chase Falls Short
Norris’s pursuit was hindered as he had to navigate through traffic. In his way were notably the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the Mercedes duo of Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Despite closing the gap significantly, time ran out for Norris, who finished just 2.2 seconds behind Verstappen at the chequered flag.
Hamilton’s First Podium of the Season
Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium of the season with a well-executed strategy. Starting from fifth, Hamilton’s longer stints allowed him to switch to the soft tires for the final laps, giving him the pace advantage to pass Russell with 15 laps remaining. Russell, on the hard tires, struggled for grip and finished fourth, just ahead of a charging Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc and Sainz Show Strong Performance
Charles Leclerc, who also opted for the soft tires in the final stint, pressured Russell but ultimately settled for fifth place. Carlos Sainz finished sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who delivered a solid performance to secure seventh.
Perez and the Alpines Complete the Top 10
Sergio Perez, starting 11th, employed a three-stop strategy to finish eighth, salvaging valuable points. The Alpine drivers rounded out the top 10, with Pierre Gasly in ninth and Esteban Ocon in tenth, providing a much-needed boost to their constructors’ championship campaign.
Final race results in full here.
Notable Quotes
Fresh off the track from his Spanish Grand Prix victory, Verstappen had this to say about the race:
“I think what made the race was the beginning. I took the lead on lap two and that’s where I had my buffer in the first stint and we eked out the gap a little bit because after that we had to drive a defensive race.” — “Lando and McLaren were very quick today. Especially on degradation, on the last few laps of the stint they were very fast but I think we did everything well, we drove an aggressive strategy and luckily it played out until the end — where it was quite close — but I’m very happy to win here.”
Norris on the other hand, disappointed on a missed opportunity but encouraged by the teams direction:
“The car was incredible today, I think we were for sure the quickest, I just lost it in the beginning, so yeah disappointed but a lot of positives and one negative which ruined everything.”
“I know that I can just work on it for next time, but apart from that we [scored] a good amount of points and a big thanks to the team as the car was amazing.”
Hamilton was grateful to finally break his podium drought and gave credit to the team for their continued persistence:
“I have to say a big thank you to the team. They’ve been training so hard in these pitstops and the strategy, the pitstops were really on point.
That wraps up another Grand Prix weekend. The action doesn’t stop here, F1 is right back at it next week for a sprint race weekend in Austria.
