Max Verstappen has been imposed brilliantly in the 52nd Spanish Formula One GP, the 32nd consecutive one that has been held at the Circuit de Catalunya and which has been played under very high temperatures (36.4º at the start) and in front of more than 120,000 fans. The Dutchman has achieved the 24th victory of him, lto fourth of the season, precisely on the track that in a distant 2016 achieved his first victory in Formula One.
The triumph of Verstappenwhich has come after a dramatic career of Leclercwho has been forced to leave when he was a solid leader, has allowed the Dutchman to turn the World Cup standings around and become the new leader, now with a six-point advantage over the Monegasque.
Red Bull has played a decisive role in this victory, both in the strategy adopted and in the fact that they have asked Czech Perez let himself be passed in the last laps by his teammate. “It is unfair, but I will do it & rdquor ;, the Mexican has remarked when he has received the order. Verstappen and Pérez have given Red Bull the 19th doublethe second of the season after Imola.
AN UNPREDICTABLE STARTIt has not been a placid day for Carlos Sainz. The man from Madrid, after a bad start in which he went from third place to fifth, went out in the fourth corner of the seventh lap after losing control of the car due to a gust of wind. Carlos has fallen to eleventh place and then he had to bring forward his first pitstop to change tires and start a new race.
But the surprises were not over, since on the next lap it was Max Verstappen, who had kept second position at the start, who went off the track in the same corner as Sainz’s Ferrari. The Dutchman has fallen to fourth place, behind Russell and Perez. With Leclerc leading the race with authority, Max began the arduous task of coming back. Red Bull let the Dutchman overtake Pérez, falling behind Mercedes, which became an insurmountable wall and forced them to change their strategy.
The problems of Verstappen have not finished there. The fight with George Russell It has been impressive and has captured much of the interest of the race. Max, with the impetus that characterizes him, has tried to pass the Briton who has defended himself tooth and nail, motivating the reaction of Red Bull that has decided to go from two to three stops.
THEATER HITSainz and Verstappen’s problems It was the prelude to the storm that awaited Ferrari, since a failure in the power unit forced Charles Leclerc to abandon when he was leading the race with solvency. The Monegasque, victim of the first reliability problem of the season in his car, has added his first zero and has lost the important advantage he had at the head of the championship.
The fight for victory, with Leclerc out, has focused on the fight between Pérez, Russell and Verstappen, marked by the strategy of pit stops. Red Bull tries to surprise Mercedes by switching to a three pitstop tactic, while after completing the two stops Pérez and Russell the Dutchman takes the lead. The race, under very great weather conditions, with great degradation, was very open.
From behind the fight between BOttos, Sainz, and Hamilton, who was about to leave in the first lap after a collision with Kevin Magnussen, was also very exciting for fourth place. Both Lewis and Russell have endorsed in the race that Mercedes has taken an important step forward in Barcelona, a feat that they now have to ratify next week in Monaco. Fourth place was at the end for Carlos Sainz, who after seeing how Hamilton overtook him, He was able to regain his place because Hamilton suffered a mechanical problem in the last few laps and was forced to slow down.
Fernando Alonso, Finally, he is still without luck in this 2022 and leaves the impression that he has added many fewer points than he has earned. Today he was forced to start last – he qualified 17th – after a tactical decision by the team that has decided to use a new power unit for the first time. The Asturian’s start was spectacular and he quickly moved into the top ten and, despite a new error by the Alpine team at the last pitstop, he finished ninth.