Verstappen triumphs at the Spanish GP in front of more than 120,000 fans

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  • Great victory for the Dutchman, who already leads the World Cup after taking advantage of the reliability problems of Leclerc’s Ferrari. Sainz finished fourth in Montmeló and Alonso finished ninth after an excellent start.

Max Verstappen has brilliantly established itself in the 52nd Formula One Spanish GPthe 32nd consecutive one that has been held in the Circuit de Catalunyawhich was raced under very high temperatures (36.4º at the start) and in front of more than 120,000 fans. The Dutchman has achieved his 24th victory, the fourth of the season, precisely on the track that in a distant 2016 he achieved his first victory in Formula One.

Verstappen’s triumph, which has come after a Leclerc’s dramatic career, who has been forced to Leave When he was a solid leader, he has allowed the Dutchman to turn the World Cup standings upside down and become the new leader, now six points clear of the Monegasque.

Red Bull has played a decisive role in this victory, both in the strategy adopted and in the fact that Checo Pérez was asked to let his teammate pass in the last laps. “It is unfair, but I will do it & rdquor ;, the Mexican remarked when he received the order. Verstappen and Perez they have given Red Bull its 19th double, the second of the season after Imola.

An unpredictable start

It has not been a peaceful day for Carlos Sainz. The man from Madrid, after a bad start in which he went from third place to fifth, went off in the fourth corner of the seventh lap after losing control of the car due to a gust of wind. Carlos dropped to eleventh place and then had to move up his first pitstop to change tires and start a new race.

But the surprises were not over, since on the next lap it was Max Verstappen, who had kept second position at the start, who went off the track in the same corner as Sainz’s Ferrari. The Dutchman has fallen to fourth place, behind Russell and Pérez. With Leclerc leading the race with authority, Max began the arduous task of the comeback. Red Bull let the Dutchman overtake Pérez, falling behind Mercedes, which became an insurmountable wall and forced them to change their strategy.

Verstappen’s problems have not ended there. The fight with George Russell It has been impressive and has captured much of the interest of the race. Max, with the impetus that characterizes him, has tried to pass the Briton who has defended himself tooth and nail, motivating the reaction of Red Bull that has decided to go from two to three stops.

hit theater

The problems of Sainz and Verstappen They have been the prelude to the storm that awaited Ferrari, since a failure in the power unit has forced Charles Leclerc to abandon when he was leading the race with solvency. The Monegasque, victim of the first reliability problem of the season in his car, has added his first zero and has lost the important advantage he had at the head of the championship.

The fight for victory, with Leclerc out, has focused on the fight between Perez, Russell and Verstappen, marked by the strategy of pit stops. Red Bull tries to surprise Mercedes by moving to a three pitstop tactic, while after completing the two stops Pérez and Russell the Dutchman takes the lead. The race, under very great weather conditions, with great degradation, was very open.

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Behind the fight between Bottas, Sainz and hamiltonwho was about to leave in the first lap after a collision with Kevin Magnussen, was also very exciting for fourth place. Both Lewis and Russell have endorsed in the race that Mercedes has taken an important step forward in Barcelona, ​​a feat that they now have to ratify next week in Monaco. Fourth place was at the end for Carlos Sainz, who after seeing how Hamilton overtook him, was able to recover the place because Hamilton had a mechanical problem in the last few laps and was forced to slow down.

Fernando Alonso, Finally, he is still without luck in this 2022 and leaves the impression that he has added many fewer points than he has earned. This Sunday he has been forced to start last – he qualified 17th – after a tactical decision by the team that has decided to use a new power unit for the first time. The start of the Spaniard has been spectacular and he has quickly rolled into the top ten and, despite a new Alpine team mistake at the last pitstop, he finished ninth.



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