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Oscar Piastri turned pole to triumph as the Spanish GP unravelled into collisions, penalties, and investigations.
Oscar Piastri produced a commanding display at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to take his fifth win of the season, leading home team-mate Lando Norris in a stunning one-two for McLaren.
The result not only cements the Australian’s place atop the championship standings but also signals McLaren’s strongest team performance yet in the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Starting from pole, Piastri got away cleanly, while Verstappen muscled past Norris into Turn 1.
The Red Bull driver and reigning world champion looked threatening early on, and his undercut strategy after the first pit stop briefly handed him the race lead.
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However, an aggressive three-stop tactic proved his undoing as Piastri calmly regained control.
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The drama heightened with a late Safety Car, deployed when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes coasted to a halt with a mechanical failure.
Verstappen’s misery and McLaren’s masterclass in Barcelona
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At the restart, Piastri and Norris surged ahead, untroubled by the chaos that unfolded behind them.
Verstappen, in the hunt for a podium, found himself entangled in a bitter on-track squabble with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Contact between the two forced the Dutchman off track, and after Red Bull instructed him to give the place back, a second collision earned him a 10-second time penalty.
That ultimately demoted the Dutchman to 10th, capping off a frustrating afternoon.
A separate investigation is also ongoing into a wheel-to-wheel clash between Leclerc and Verstappen on the main straight.
The incident occurred during a late-race restart, following a dramatic slide by the Red Bull driver coming out of the final corner.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took full advantage of the turmoil, claiming third place.
Russell finished fourth, while Nico Hülkenberg delivered a standout drive from P15 to secure fifth for Kick Sauber.
Lewis Hamilton followed in sixth, ahead of Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finally scored his first points of the season in ninth on home soil.
The eventful Grand Prix saw just 19 starters after Lance Stroll withdrew with a hand injury.
Despite a bruising race for several teams, McLaren’s Barcelona brilliance firmly placed them as serious title contenders—both in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
2025 Spanish GP Finishing Position After Verstappen Penalty
1, Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2, Lando Norris (McLaren) +2.471s
3, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +10.455s
4, George Russell (Mercedes) +11.359s
5, Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +13.648s
6, Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +15.508s
7, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +16.022s
8, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +17.882s
9, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +21.564s
10, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +21.826s (10s penalty)
11, Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +25.532s
12, Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +25.996s
13, Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)+28.822s
14, Carlos Sainz (Williams) +29.309s
15, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +31.381s
16, Esteban Ocon (Haas) +32.197s
17, Ollie Bearman (Haas) +37.065s
DNF Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
DNF Alex Albon (Williams)
DNS Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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