Max Verstappen won his seventh race of 2024, beating Lando Norris to claim victory in the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver extended his championship lead by prevailing in a race-long strategy battle with the McLaren driver.
Verstappen took the chequered flag by just over two seconds, with Lewis Hamilton beating Mercedes team mate George Russell to claim his first grand prix podium of the season.
At the start of the race, all drivers started on soft tyres with Norris using a new set of tyres while Verstappen and Hamilton behind him opted for a used set. When the lights went out, Norris aggressively defended the inside from Verstappen, putting the Red Bull driver slightly onto the grass. But this allowed George Russell, who had made a good start from fourth, to sweep around the outside of both into turn one to take the lead.
Russell led the first lap from Verstappen with Norris falling to third. When DRS was activated at the end of the first lap, Verstappen was encouraged to pass the Mercedes sooner rather than later. With the help of DRS and a slipstream along the main straight, Verstappen managed to pass Russell around the outside of the first corner for the lead.
Russell was the first of the leading drivers to pit for mediums on lap 15 with Verstappen in two laps later. Norris assumed the lead and remained out on his used softs until the end of lap 23, emerging behind Carlos Sainz Jnr in sixth which would become fifth when Leclerc eventually pitted a lap later to hand the lead back to Verstappen.
Norris passed Sainz and Hamilton before eventually overtaking Russell for second place after a sustained battle over the opening half of lap 35. Verstappen made his second stop at the end of lap 44, fitting fresh soft tyres for the final 22 laps and emerging in third behind Norris and Leclerc.
McLaren brought Norris in for soft tyres three laps later, fitting a used set for his final stint. He rejoined in second and set off in pursuit of the leader, but while he was able to close the gap, Verstappen managed to keep Norris comfortably at bay to take the chequered flag for the seventh time in the opening ten rounds of the championship.
Hamilton beat team mate Russell to the podium with the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr behind the Mercedes pair. Oscar Piastri finished seventh with Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon rounding out the top ten.
All 20 drivers finished the race with no retirements over the 66 laps.
Advert |…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…