Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing proved unstoppable on Sunday a 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The reigning champion was in a race of his own in a revised race Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunyaleads from pole position and managed to set the fastest lap of the day.
Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were the surprise performers, as the Mercedes duo showed a boost in speed that had been missing since the 2021 season. However, they were still well off Verstappen’s pace. Hamilton finished 24 seconds behind Verstappen to take second, with Russell a further eight seconds back in third.
Verstappen was joined by Ferrari’s local hero Carlos Sainz at the front of the grid. Verstappen started better, after which Sainz went into attack mode. Despite trying to overtake Verstappen in the first corner, Sainz was unable to get the better of his Red Bull rival and returned to the chase.
Meanwhile, Hamilton survived some contact with McLaren’s Lando Norris to finish third, while Russell moved up from 12th on the grid to seventh on the first lap. Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez also had to fight his way up the order after spinning during qualifying on Saturday and starting the race 11th on the grid.
A few laps into the race, Verstappen was already behind the rest of the field and by lap 11 he was 5.2 seconds behind Sainz, who soon lost second place to Hamilton. He then lost another place to Russell and one to Perez, eventually finishing the race in fifth, just behind Perez.
Aston Martin couldn’t repeat its early strong performance but remained consistent, with star driver Fernando Alonso finishing seventh, one place behind team-mate Lance Stroll.
After the action at the weekend, Verstappen clearly leads the 2023 drivers’ championship with 170 points. Perez is second with 117 points and Alonso is third with 99 points. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull Racing was also behind with 287 points, compared to Mercedes’ 152 points in second place, and Aston Martin in third place with 134 points. F1 returns in two weeks with round nine, the Canadian Grand Prixat Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Below you will find the full results of the 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +24.090 seconds
3) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +32.389 seconds
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +35.812 seconds
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +45.698 seconds
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +63.320 seconds
7) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +64.127 seconds
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +69.242 seconds
9) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +71.878 seconds
10) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +73.530 seconds
11) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +74.419 seconds
12) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +75.416 seconds
13) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +1 lap
14) Nyck De Vries, AlphaTauri +1 round
15) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +1 lap
16) Alexander Albon, Williams +1 round
17) Lando Norris, McLaren +1 lap
18) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
19) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
20) Logan Sargeant, Williams +1 lap
This article was originally published by Motor Authorityeditorial partner ClassicCars.com
