Oscar Piastri wins Spanish Grand Prix as Lando Norris slips back in title fight

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

Lando Norris lost ground in the championship race after McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri produced a flawless performance to win Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris started second and finished in the same position – despite losing out to Red Bull's Max Verstappen off the line – taking the chequered flag 2.4 seconds behind Piastri.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium after he fought his way past Verstappen following a late safety car re-start.
However, Verstappen accused Leclerc of driving into him as the two made slight contact on the straight and then fell off the road as he attempted to defend from George Russell.
Verstappen was advised to give the position to Russell to avoid a penalty, and while he seemed set to let Russell through, he appeared to drive into the Mercedes.
'What the f***'?' Russell said on the radio, with Verstappen later making way. Russell crossed the line in fourth, with Verstappen fifth. However, Verstappen was hit with a 10-second penalty by the stewards, demoting him to 10th.
Lewis Hamilton finished a poor seventh after he was passed by Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg in the closing stages.
Piastri's win, which came despite a late safety car, marked his fifth of the nine rounds so far to extend his title advantage over Norris from three points to 10.
After failing to land pole position, Norris knew his best chance of beating Piastri would arrive at the long run to the opening corner.
However, rather than battle Piastri for top spot, the slow-starting Englishman was left scrambling to keep hold of second with Verstappen drawing alongside in his Red Bull.
Norris occupied the centre of the track, but Verstappen, with the advantage of sitting on the racing line, was able to stamp on his brakes later than the British driver to catapult ahead at the first corner.
It was the worst possible start for Norris, who had been hoping to build on the momentum of taking just his second triumph of the season in Monaco a week ago.
Instead it would be damage limitation, with Verstappen launching an early challenge on Piastri for the lead. It did not last long with Piastri 1.5 seconds clear at the start of lap four.
Further back, and Hamilton, who out-qualified Leclerc for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, was up one place to fourth after he moved round the outside of Russell at the start.
But the seven-time world champion was soon struggling for speed, and, for the second time in his short Ferrari career, was asked to move aside for Leclerc.
Hamilton duly obliged on lap 10 and by the start of the next lap had already fallen more than a second behind his team-mate.
Norris, in his superior McLaren, made light work of Verstappen at the start of lap 13 to take second place, but by now Piastri was already 4.2 seconds up the road.
In came Norris on lap 21 for a change of tyres with Piastri in on the following lap. That promoted Verstappen into the lead before the four-time world champion pulled in for his second change of tyres on lap 29.
Hamilton's sub-par race then suffered another setback in the pits when he lost time with a sticky front-right tyre.
Piastri looked on course to cruise to victory only for Kimi Antonell's engine to expire on lap 55 of 66, and, with the Italian rookie stranded in the gravel at Turn 10, out came the safety car.
A six-lap shootout followed but, despite the chaos behind, it was Piastri who held his nerve to keep Norris at bay and land another dent to the Briton's title tilt.