McLaren 1-2 in Spain amid Verstappen controversies

McLaren secured a 1-2 in Formula 1’s 2025 Spanish Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri leading Lando Norris, as a late safety car triggered a string of controversies that led to Max Verstappen dropping to 10th with a penalty.

Verstappen had split the front-row-sharing McLarens off the line, though Norris passed him before the first pitstops.

By the halfway point, it became clear that Verstappen was going for a three-stop strategy - soft-soft-medium-soft - while the McLarens were only going to stop twice with a soft-medium-soft strategy.

That set up a late-race battle between Verstappen and Norris for second place as they waded through blue-flagged backmarkers - but, when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes stopped at the exit of Turn 10, the safety car was deployed with 10 laps left.

Piastri pitted for used softs, Norris did the same - and Verstappen was somewhat baffled by his team’s choice to fit new hards.

"That was the only option," Verstappen was told. 

The safety car retreated at the end of lap 60 of 66 and Verstappen suffered a massive snap of oversteer at the final corner. That gave Charles Leclerc a run down the straight, they banged wheels as both tried to get a slipstream from the McLarens, George Russell got involved too and Verstappen ended up in the Turn 1 escape road, retaining fourth as he rejoined. 

"Charles just rammed into me on the straight!" Verstappen protested on the radio - but there was very little contact, and Leclerc was well ahead and into the final podium place.

It looked like Russell had tapped the front of the Red Bull and sent it down the escape road. 

Verstappen was then told to let Russell through. Verstappen was fuming. Russell thought he was being allowed past at Turn 5 but Verstappen seemed to have a change of heart, cutting into Russell and making contact with the Mercedes. He did eventually give way to the Mercedes and it went on to take fourth.

Verstappen copped a 10-second time penalty after the chequered flag and would finish 10th despite crossing the line fifth, and half a second behind Russell.

Hulkenberg stuns, Hamilton struggles

Nico Hulkenberg starred in a race from 15th on the grid to sixth at the flag, and fifth on the timesheets.

The Sauber driver made up five places in the opening laps and swapped from softs to mediums early on. After that he showed brilliant pace, passing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and then pitting for softs, swapping to another new set of softs for the late safety car.

On the restart, Hulkenberg passed a beleaguered Lewis Hamilton to secure Sauber’s best finish since Felipe Nasr took fifth at the 2015 Australian GP.

Hamilton’s decent start at the expense of Russell faded away as the seven-time champion was made to cede position to Ferrari team-mate Leclerc early on before pitting for mediums. He questioned the call but Hamilton was told it was to protect from undercuts.

Hamilton was later undercut by Russell and he ended up sixth, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.

Hadjar drove another impressive race, going from ninth on the grid to seventh. 

Gasly ended up eighth, ahead of home driver Fernando Alonso. Alonso went into the gravel early on and it seemed it would be another point-less race but he capitalised on numerous incidents, including a race-ending one for Alex Albon, to work his way up to ninth ahead of Verstappen.

For Aston Martin, who had Lance Stroll withdraw from the race on Saturday, it was a welcome consolation.

Albon endures miserable DNF

Albon was the first retiree from the race after a clumsy clash with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

Albon said Lawson pushed him off the track in a lap 24 incident but the Williams stayed ahead of the Racing Bulls driver. 

Lawson then passed Albon on lap 25 (with Alonso also making his way past Albon at the same time).

"Front wing damage!" clamoured Albon as his left-hand side endplate splintered into pieces.

Albon was told to box and retire but the stewards gave him a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Albon therefore pitted to serve his penalty (preventing it from being carried to Canada) and then retired his car at the end of the next lap. 

Lawson missed out on points in 11th, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto.

Yuki Tsunoda recovered to 13th from the pitlane, while Carlos Sainz struggled to 14th. 

Franco Colapinto finished 15th for Alpine ahead of the two Haas drivers.

Finishing positions

1 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2 Lando Norris (McLaren) +2.471s
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +10.455s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) +11.359s
5 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +13.648s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +15.508s
7 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +16.022s
8 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +17.882s
9 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +21.564s
10 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +21.826s (10s penalty)
11 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +25.532s
12 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +25.996s
13 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)+28.822s
14 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +29.309s
15 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +31.381s
16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +32.197s
17 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +37.065s
DNF Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
DNF Alex Albon (Williams)
DNS Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)