Barcelona, June 23 (IANS): Max Verstappen has won the Spanish Grand Prix marking his seventh victory out of the ten races that have taken place during the 2024/25 season.

It was Lando Norris who started the race at pole but lost the lead in the very first corner when he went too wide trying to block a charging Verstappen giving surprise contender George Russell the space to move from P4 to P1. Lando Norris fell to P3 just seconds later and fell behind the Red Bull.

Verstappen went on to overtake the Mercedes in the third lap and secured a marginable lead that ultimately secured the second consecutive win for the three-time world champion.

Despite the poor start Lando was in the thick of the action. He engaged in brilliant wheel to wheel action with Russell and a P2 finish for the British driver also secured the trophy for Driver of the Day for the Mclaren star.

Lewis Hamilton recently spoke on the improvement of performance in the car after recent upgrades which was on full display on the day as he overtook his Mercedes teammate to secure a P3 finish in what was the seven-time World Champion’s 198th podium finish and his first since the Mexico GP last season.

The two Ferrari’s came close to disaster as they had contact between them in the very first lap. Another cause for concern for the team will be the lack in race speed which was expected as the team introduced major new upgrades to the car but still seemed to be the fourth fastest team on the track which saw Leclerc finish fifth and Sainz end at sixth place.

With the win Max Verstappen has now scored 219 points in the drivers championship building a sizable lead on second placed Lando Norris who has 150 points to his name. Red Bull on the other hand have a cause for concern in the Constructors Championship as Sergio Perez once again disappointed with his outing. The side has 330 points followed by Ferrari at 270 points and Mclaren at 237.

Spanish Grand Prix brief results:

Max Verstappen (RB)

Lando Norris (MCL)

Lewis Hamilton (MER)

George Russell (MER)

Charles Leclerc (FER)

Carlos Sainz (FER)

Oscar Piastri (MCL)

Sergio Perez (RB)

Pierre Gasly (ALP)

Esteban Ocon (ALP)