BARCELONA (AFP) – Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday from McLaren’s pole-sitter Lando Norris to extend his lead in the world championship.
Lewis Hamilton completed the podium at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for the Mercedes seven-time former champion’s first podium of the season.
The racing may be closer than the past two seasons but Verstappen always seems to pull it out of the bag when it matters most.
This was his 61st career win, seventh of the season, and fourth at the track where he first shot onto the F1 scene as a teenager in 2016.
And it pushed him another step further to a fourth straight title with Austria and Silverstone coming up over the next two weekends.
Fourth-placed George Russell in the other Mercedes enjoyed a stunning start.
With Verstappen to the left of Norris, and Russell to the right of him in the charge into the first turn at the end of the long straight, the pole-sitter came out the loser.
As Norris grappled with Verstappen Russell, unsighted, pulled out from fourth on the grid to take command.
Verstappen raced in second from Norris with Hamilton in fourth.
Two laps later, at the end of the straight, Verstappen made the decisive move of the race.
He was told by his race engineer “Might be our best opportunity Max” and the Dutch ace needed no second invitation, producing a beautiful pass to deprive Russell of the lead, surging over one second clear of the Briton, with Norris less than a second back.
