5 winners and 5 losers of the Spanish Grand Prix – Who shone in Spain? | Components 1®
F1 correspondent and moderator
Max Verstappen continued his relentless march en path to a 3rd consecutive world title with a commanding triumph on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, nevertheless it wasn’t a cheerful day for a few of his rivals within the Spanish solar. Listed below are our picks for this week’s Winners and Losers…
Winner: Max Verstappen
After Verstappen acquired the higher of Carlos Sainz firstly, the Purple Bull driver hardly needed to look within the rear-view mirror as he transformed pole into his fifth win in seven races – and set the quickest lap on the similar time, even supposing his workforce was driving him had warned in opposition to as a result of he had been given the black and white flag for monitor limits.
This was Verstappen’s fortieth win, seven years after his first, which by the way was his first race for Purple Bull and in addition in Spain.
READ MORE: ‘Now we have to maintain working’ – Verstappen vows to not let up after fifth win in 2023 as he prepares for Mercedes problem
The Dutchman, who has completed within the high two in each race up to now this season and has accomplished 26 consecutive grands prix, now has a formidable 53-point lead within the championship, which interprets to greater than two wins and two quickest lap awards.
Verstappen drove to victory in Spain on Sunday
Loser: Charles Leclerc
This was a weekend to overlook for Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque certified for Sunday’s race and completed an achingly low nineteenth place – only a yr after ranging from pole on the similar occasion.
Ferrari made in a single day changes which meant he needed to begin from the pit lane. However whereas his tempo appeared okay within the ultimate stint, it was disappointing for the remainder of the race and he was out of rivalry.
READ MORE: “I did my finest,” says Sainz. He’s “dissatisfied” when he doesn’t make it onto the rostrum at dwelling
He completed eleventh for the third time in seven races this season, placing him a whopping 128 factors behind Verstappen within the championship.
Leclerc spent most of his race in Spain in the back of the sector
Winner: Mercedes
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the cool and constant circumstances helped the workforce put the automobile in the correct window and a high quality efficiency and a closely revised automobile secured their first double podium of the season.
Lewis Hamilton was a formidable second – his final seven podiums have been for second – and it’s his eleventh time on the rostrum at Barcelona.
READ MORE: ‘Now we have our sights set on victory’ – Russell needs extra after beautifully ending third from P12
George Russell fought his approach by means of the sector from twelfth place to safe an unlikely first podium end of 2023. Collectively they helped transfer Mercedes to second place within the constructors’ standings, forward of Aston Martin.
A double podium was an excellent return for Mercedes, climbing again as much as second within the Constructors’ Championship.
Loser: Yuki Tsunoda
Within the second race in a row, Yuki Tsunoda slipped by means of a number of factors. The Japanese racer fought his approach into the highest 10 with a collection of spectacular overtakes.
However the AlphaTauri driver was handed a five-second time penalty for forcing Zhou Guanyu off the monitor in Flip 1 in a battle for P9 – which ended up dropping him to twelfth place.
Winner: Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll took benefit of the weekend when his Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso was out and completed sixth.
The Canadian acquired the higher of Alonso for the primary time this season earlier than ending his two-race streak exterior the factors.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the motion on the Spanish Grand Prix as Verstappen dominates and claims victory
He was capable of loosen up within the closing phases when Alonso radioed his workforce that he wouldn’t assault his team-mate after preventing his approach from tenth to seventh after a late cease.
2023 Spanish Grand Prix: The battle with Zhou that earned Tsunoda a late penalty in Barcelona
Loser: Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez’s disappointing kind continued as he fell additional behind Verstappen within the title race with an total poor efficiency over the race weekend.
After his troubled weekend in Monaco, he retired in second qualifying after which struggled to progress within the race quick sufficient to complete fourth.
READ MORE: ‘It’s what it’s’ – Perez regrets expensive efficiency in Spain qualifying however needs to reset and ‘come again sturdy’
Winner: Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu continued his finest qualifying efficiency since Spherical 2 in Jeddah with a robust drive on Sunday afternoon in Barcelona to safe his second factors end of the season.
Ninth place equaled his finest results of 2023 (achieved in Australia) and put his Alfa Romeo workforce stage on factors with Haas within the battle for seventh place within the constructors’ championship.
Though Perez moved as much as fourth, it was a poor efficiency for a automobile befitting the category of the sector
Loser: Fernando Alonso
Seventh place wasn’t a nasty outcome for Alonso in 2022 – however the bar has been raised considerably for him this season – having claimed 5 podiums within the first six races.
Nonetheless, the Spanish double world champion didn’t do something magical for his adoring dwelling followers, as he initially made a mistake in qualifying that noticed him end eighth – his worst begin of the yr.
READ MORE: What the groups have been saying – Race day in Spain
Within the race, the Aston Martin didn’t appear notably fast on both the mushy or laborious tires and so a return to the rostrum was by no means real looking.
Winner: Alpine
Alpine continued their latest upswing in kind with a 3rd straight double-point end: Esteban Ocon completed eighth – his third straight high 10 end – and Pierre Gasly completed tenth.
It may have gone so a lot better if Gasly hadn’t acquired two penalties for 3 locations on the grid for incapacity in qualifying.
2023 Spanish Grand Prix: Alonso fights previous Ocon with a really late maneuver down the primary straight
However one other good factors haul has cemented their fifth place within the Constructors Championship and put them an excellent lead during the last 5 groups.
Loser: Lando Norris
Lando Norris delivered among the best qualifying performances of his profession in Spain, taking a superb third place.
However after the lights went out, he barely spent 30 seconds in that place because the McLaren driver barely had contact with Hamilton as the sector tightened within the opening corners.
READ MORE: Norris regrets ‘unlucky’ collision with Hamilton on lap one however says Spanish GP went ‘as anticipated’ after a poor seventeenth place
He needed to pit for a brand new entrance wing and ended up on the backside of the sector, nicely out of the competitors. Norris mentioned after the race that even with out that contact, it could have been tough for him to remain within the factors – however it could have been enjoyable to observe him no less than attempt.