McLaren dominates in Barcelona: Piastri-Norris one-two

McLaren ruled the Spanish Grand Prix with an emphatic one-two finish as Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris across the line, confirming the Woking-based team’s current technical supremacy. Charles Leclerc completed the podium with a smart race and a stroke of late-race fortune.

Starting from 7th after a strategic tyre-saving move in qualifying, Leclerc capitalised on a safety car deployed with ten laps to go, overtaking Max Verstappen and sealing third place. The safety car was brought out after Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes came to a halt due to an oil pressure issue.

On the restart, Verstappen – on an unusual three-stop strategy – had switched to a set of used hard tyres and quickly came under pressure. Leclerc pounced, overtaking him after a wheel-to-wheel moment later reviewed by race stewards. George Russell then attempted a move on Verstappen, who controversially cut the track and rejoined ahead of the Brit. Ordered to give the place back, Verstappen instead collided slightly with the Mercedes. The stewards handed him a 10-second time penalty, demoting him from 5th to 10th.

Leclerc made the most of the situation: “When I heard Max was on hards, I knew I had a shot. There was contact, but we both stayed in control. Without the safety car I’d have finished fourth, so I’ll gladly take this podium,” the Ferrari driver said.

For Oscar Piastri, it’s his fifth win of the season and the seventh of his career. After the heartbreak in Monte Carlo, the Australian bounced back with a flawless weekend: “Perfect weekend, great pace, incredible car. It feels great to win again after Monaco. We’re having an unbelievable season.”

Despite debuting the new less-flexible front wings, McLaren’s pace remained unmatched throughout the weekend. Lando Norris, who finished second, praised the team: “Fantastic one-two. We did everything right – great pace, great strategy. Couldn't ask for more.”

Behind Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg pulled off an excellent P5 finish in the Sauber, overtaking Lewis Hamilton in the final laps. The Briton, who had started fifth, couldn’t maintain pace late in the race and had to settle for sixth.

Next up: the Austrian Grand Prix, where Verstappen will look to bounce back after a weekend to forget. But McLaren has sent a loud and clear message – the title race is far from over.