Max Ferstappen leads Red Bull one or two to win the Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of George Russell of Mercedes after the dramatic departure of Charles Leclerc … with Lewis Hamilton in fifth place in a stunning recovery after a punch in the first lap dropped him to 19 -e
- Max Ferstappen played fourth to win the Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of Sergio Perez
- The Dutchman ran early, but led Red Bull one or two from Perez, who missed his teammate later in the race
- Charles Leclerc was on his way to victory before his Ferrari got an engine failure in Barcelona
- Now Ferstappen is leading the World Cup for the first time this year, ahead of Leclerc by six points
- Lewis Hamilton returned to fifth place after getting a puncture in the first lap in a clash with Kevin Magnussen
- The Briton was fourth after George Russell before suffering a late mechanical drama to give way
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Max Ferstappen took the lead in the World Championship after storming the victory in the exciting Spanish Grand Prix, in which Lewis Hamilton returned well from last to fifth – despite the desire to quit the race!
It took all the Dutchman’s fighting spirit – and the strategic note of his Red Bull team – to win after Hamilton’s third-place teammate George Russell fought bravely and dazzlingly for Mercedes. Ferstappen was also helped by a fortune – the resignation of avant-garde Charles Leclerc in the 27th from the 66th round.
Leclerc’s removal due to “uncertain problems with the power unit” allowed Russell to lead in the 28th lap.
But Red Bull pulled Ferstappen on new tires because the world champion secured his third victory in as many races.
He did so despite time problems with a malfunctioning DRS that tested his patience to the limit. He twisted annoyed messages on the radio and launched it into the car.
“We can’t even get e ****** DRS to work, man,” Ferstappen shouted. “Incredible.”
The most exciting duel, which was shown at scorching temperatures, took place on the 24th lap, when Ferstappen, with the DRS running, was on Russell’s tail at 200 mph.
Ferstappen sank inside the first corner. Russell, who moved from the fourth to the third at the start, bravely kept his foot and twisted forward on the second turn. And then the Briton refrained, as each of the 24-year-old somehow avoided contact in his close dance.
Russell’s day was the most rewarding since he joined Mercedes at the start of the season, his car improving as a result of significant upgrades, though not enough to stop Sergio Perez, who finished Red Bull one or two in 13 seconds from Ferstappen. Russell was still 20 seconds ago.
As for Hamilton, the man of the resurrection, in the first round he got confused with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, lying sixth, from the position from which he started. A collision of 4 turns resulted in a puncture. He rushed to the pits and found himself almost a minute later.
He wanted to leave the race. “I would keep that engine in your place,” said Hamilton sadly. “I’m sorry.”
Peter Bonnington, his racing engineer, retorted: “Lewis, we feel we can still score. P8 or maybe better. ‘
Thank God, Bonington intervened.
Hamilton would have finished fourth, but he was told to “pick up and go”, presumably with critical fuel, as the sands ran out.
Carlos Science, whom he bypassed, passed Hamilton on the last lap.
The stewards looked at the Hamilton Magnussen but took no action. Each driver clearly expressed his opinion. Magnussen said, “H ****** Lewis. He just rammed me. He knew what he was doing. “
Hamilton’s version: ‘F ***, I was hit.’
The following weekend Ferstappen is ahead of Leclerc by six points in Monaco.
Leclerc, who lives in the principality, complained about his misfortune, although he explained little.
“I don’t know anything more than what happened mostly,” he said. “Before that I had no signs. It just broke and I completely lost energy. ”
Here’s a live Sportsmail blog for updates while the Formula One campaign continues at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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