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Tyres NorthamptonThe Dutch driver only had to fend off a Lap 1 charge from front-row starting Carlos Sainz to claim his victory as all other contenders fell short in another race — the second in three – without any retirements or safety cars.
While it was a regular day in the office for Verstappen, many of his frontrunning peers stumbled in Qualifying, leading to recovery drives for Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Sergio Perez. Even home hero Fernando Alonso looked like he had lost his mojo after only qualifying P9, the worst starting slot the Spaniard has had in 2023.
Verstappen initially made a better start than Sainz, but the Ferrari driver fought back, slotting into the Red Bull's slipstream and going for a move on the outside of Turn 1. The Scuderia had equipped Sainz with Pirelli's soft compound tyre, helping the Spanish racer get a better launch off the line as he chased his season's first podium. The two fought side-by-side into the apex and the run into Turn 2, where Verstappen shut the door, forcing Sainz to back off and settle for second place.
The leader's battle had a knock-on effect on those behind, particularly Lando Norris. After a P3 qualification, the McLaren racer's weekend went from Saturday heroics to Sunday hell. Lewis Hamilton had to slow when avoiding Sainz, inadvertently clipping Norris' front wing end plate. The aerodynamic loss on his McLaren had him heading straight to the pits, and his race was effectively over.
While Verstappen scampered off into the distance, the fight for the podium places raged on for much of the race. Sainz initially looked the best bet for the runner-up place as Hamilton began reeling in Lance Stroll's P3 position. With DRS proving a powerful assist on the reprofiled track, passes were not at a premium in Barcelona, and the Mercedes driver soon edged by the Aston Martin into the Turn 1 braking zone.
Further back, Leclerc, Russell, and Perez had also made some steps to get closer to the big points-paying positions thanks to the main straight's DRS advantage. To the heartbreak of the Spanish grandstands, Russell even made Alonso look powerless as the upgraded Mercedes package showed its strength. But further pain for Spain would follow after the pit stops.
Somehow, Pirelli's soft compound tyre lasted 25 laps for the Silver Arrows, who extended the stint far longer than their rivals on the red-walled rubber. The benefits were almost instant when they finally pitted as Hamilton used his fresh medium tyres to reel Sainz in. Another Turn 1 pass had Hamilton snatch P2 from the Ferrari driver, who didn't have the grip to defend and seemed resigned to falling back. Five laps later, Russell repeated the move to take P3 — even more impressive after his P12 start.
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Although Sainz had relinquished his silverware, the slide didn't end there. In the closing laps, Perez added to Ferrari's misery.
While Sainz had to fight his second half of the race on hard tyres, the Mexican's fresh soft Pirellis gave him far more pace for the final laps and another Turn 1 pass netted Perez P4 and 12 points to slightly stem the loss to his teammate. P5 for Sainz after a front-row start and no points for Leclerc is a concerning result for the Italian outfit, who started the season far stronger.
Irrespective of what Perez and the Mercedes duo could do, Verstappen looked in a league of one all weekend and now boasts a commanding 53-point advantage over Perez in the standings. The F1 circus will make a trip to Canada in an otherwise quiet June before two doubleheaders in July to trigger the summer break. The only question is how far ahead Verstappen will be by then.