Red Bull’s Verstappen wins Spanish GP, moves to top overall

BARCELONA: Formula One world champion Max Verstappen (1:37:20.475) won the Spanish Grand Prix in a Red Bull one-two on Sunday to take over at the top from Ferrari’s luckless Charles Leclerc, who retired with an engine failure while leading.

Sergio Perez finished a dutiful second, 13.072 seconds behind, but with the consolation of a bonus point for the fastest lap, after being told to let his teammate pass for a third victory in a row. The 24-year-old Verstappen (110 points) is now six points clear of

Leclerc (104 points) after winning four of the six races so far – all those he has finished.

George Russell (+32.927 seconds) came third for a revived Mercedes and after going wheelto-wheel with Verstappen early on in a thrilling display of defensive driving. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (+45.208 seconds) was fourth, but it was scant reward for a team which had brought upgrades to try and turn the tables on Red Bull. Leclerc led comfortably from pole position, but a sudden loss of power before the half-way mark led to his retirement in the pits. The Monegasque

waved to the capacity Circuit de Catalunya crowd but from then on, could only watch his 19-point advantage evaporate.

Verstappen also suffered intermittent problems with his car’s drag reduction system (DRS) and went off into the gravel at turn four on lap eight. “I tried to stay focussed. It is not nice when stuff like that happens. I am very happy to win and happy for Checo (Perez). It is a great result for the team,” said Verstappen after his triumph.

Lewis Hamilton (+54.534 seconds) was fifth for Mercedes with a fine recovery drive after an opening lap collision with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas dropped him to 19th. He was passed by Sainz on the closing laps after Mercedes warned of a potentially terminal cooling issue.

Sergio Perez finished a dutiful second after being told to let his teammate Max Verstappen pass for a third victory in a row. George Russell came third for Mercedes