Oscar Piastri extended his sparkling 2025 campaign with a lights-to-flag win in the Spanish Grand Prix, leading McLaren team-mate Lando Norris home for a commanding one-two that widens the Australian’s championship advantage. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium, but most post-race attention centred on Max Verstappen, whose late collision with George Russell earned a 10-second time penalty and dumped the Red Bull driver from fourth to 10th in the final classification.
How the race unfolded
Piastri converted Saturday’s pole into the race lead, controlling tyre wear in 46 °C track temperatures and surviving a safety-car restart on lap 42 after Yuki Tsunoda’s stranded RB brought out the yellow flags. Norris shadowed him to the flag, finishing 2.5 s adrift, while Leclerc capitalised on Verstappen’s penalty to pick up his second podium of the season.
The decisive drama arrived seven laps from home. Verstappen, on fresher softs after a three-stop gamble, attempted to repass Russell into Turn 1. Light contact sent the Mercedes wide and drew immediate attention from stewards. They deemed Verstappen “predominantly to blame,” issuing a 10-second post-race penalty that dropped him six places and left Russell fifth behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Key statistics
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1h 24m 11.204s | – |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +2.512s | – |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +9.441s | – |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +11.996s | – |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +14.073s | – |
| 10 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +35.487s | 10-sec penalty |
The win is Piastri’s fifth in seven races and lifts him to 164 points, 10 clear of Norris, while Verstappen slips to third on 122. McLaren now head the constructors’ standings by 46 points over Ferrari.
Reactions
“Mega job, team—car was on rails,” Piastri told the pit wall, his voice cracking as Andrea Stella replied, “That’s the McLaren way.” Norris joked he was “sick of seeing Oscar’s gearbox,” but conceded the result was “huge for the team.”
Verstappen was less sanguine, calling the decision “over the top” over team radio. Russell said the Dutchman “left me nowhere to go.” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner indicated the team will not appeal, saying, “We need to keep our heads down and score big next weekend.”
Strategic takeaways
- Tyres: Piastri and Norris executed identical medium-hard stints; Verstappen’s aggressive soft-medium-soft gamble relied on late-race track position that evaporated with the penalty.
- Upgrades: McLaren’s new floor, trialled in Miami, delivered again, while Ferrari’s slimmer side-pod package kept Leclerc within striking distance.
What’s next
The paddock travels to Montréal for the Canadian Grand Prix on 15 June. Piastri has never raced a Formula 1 car at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, but on current form few would bet against a sixth victory—and Verstappen will arrive nursing both points deficit and pride.