Spanish Grand Prix – Race: Max Verstappen prevents another Mercedes one-two

The main uncertainty during this Spanish Grand Prix was how the tire management would be, especially for Mercedes, which struggled in last week’s heat. On Friday, Max Verstappen had shown a promising race pace, capable of threatening the dominance of the Black Arrows.

The Red Bull driver was able to take second place from Valtteri Bottas right from the start. The Finn was even overtaken by Lance Stroll and had to fend off the second Racing Point, driven by Sergio Perez. It took him several laps to regain the advantage over the Canadian. But the damage was done compared to Max Verstappen, who was able to maintain his position until the checkered flag. It was surprising to see that Mercedes did not take the risk of attempting a one-stop strategy for driver 77, even though Max Verstappen had made a second pit stop. Valtteri Bottas consoled himself with the fastest lap record in the very last lap, after putting on fresh tires in the previous lap.

On the other hand, Ferrari attempted this one-stop strategy with both of their drivers, especially Sebastian Vettel, who started on medium tires after failing to advance past Q2 in yesterday’s qualifying. Once again, the German driver had another bitter communication exchange with his team. Indeed, when the future ex-Ferrari driver asked if they should try a one-stop strategy, his pit wall remained silent for several laps before asking him the exact same question! The strategy proved successful as the driver, who started eleventh, managed to finish in seventh position, holding off the pack of young challengers behind him.

Conversely, Sergio Perez, returning after missing two races, faced disappointment at the end of the race: although he managed to finish fourth on the track thanks to a one-stop strategy, he was penalized five seconds for not respecting the blue flags when Lewis Hamilton caught up to him. He thus lost a position to his teammate, Lance Stroll.

The Frenchman Pierre Gasly managed to convert his tenth place on the grid into another points finish, ultimately finishing ninth in the race while Romain Grosjean ended up last after a huge slide at the end of the race.

On the side of withdrawals, only Charles Leclerc did not make it to the finish, due to electrical problems, which caused a spin on the Monegasque driver’s car. Although he was able to restart in last position, he was quickly forced to retire.

Results of the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix: