2025 Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix Report & Results

Event: Spanish Grand Prix
Track: Catalunya Circuit

Weather: dry  28°C
Tarmac: dry  49°C
Humidity: 58%
Wind: 7.5 km/h South

Oscar Piastri scored his 7th F1 race win today. The Australian driver won the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time. It was his fifth race win of the 2025 season. The McLaren driver started from pole. It was the 196th race win for the McLaren F1 team.

Piastri Dominates Chaotic Spanish GP as Verstappen Crashes Down to Tenth

Oscar Piastri laid down a championship marker in the blazing heat of Catalunya, winning the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix in style. The McLaren ace claimed victory after a tactical masterclass, a flawless drive, and a late-race restart that turned the final laps into a full-blown thriller. Behind him, Lando Norris secured second in a well-managed McLaren 1-2, while Charles Leclerc snatched third after a bruising encounter with Max Verstappen. But the headlines? All about chaos, collisions and a costly error from Verstappen that saw him slapped with a 10-second penalty, dropping him from fifth to a lowly tenth.

Piastri Perfect in the Heat

From pole position, Piastri never truly looked under threat. The Australian nailed the start, resisted early pressure from Verstappen, and controlled the race through two-stop strategy brilliance. Even a late Safety Car – triggered by Antonelli’s power unit failure – couldn’t rattle the 23-year-old, who pulled the pin when it mattered and extended his championship lead with his fifth win of the season.

"This is exactly the kind of weekend I’ve been chasing," said Piastri. "Top in nearly every session, and a clean race. Can’t complain."

McLaren Show of Strength

Lando Norris kept his teammate honest throughout. At one point, he began to close the gap in the second stint as Piastri worked through traffic. But after the Safety Car bunched the field, Norris couldn’t quite match Oscar’s restart magic – especially as both had to deal with Verstappen on hards acting as a mobile chicane.

“Fair play to Oscar today,” Norris admitted. “He drove a brilliant race. I had a shot after the restart, but the rear got loose and that was that.”

Still, McLaren’s pace and control were emphatic – and this 1-2 finish further cements their championship credentials heading into Canada.

Verstappen's Gambit Fails in Chaos

Max Verstappen, ever the fighter, tried to pull off a daring three-stop strategy – bolting on a set of used softs in the final stint before a forced switch to hard tyres after the Safety Car. It might’ve worked, had he not locked horns with Russell and Leclerc in the closing laps.

At the restart, Verstappen’s cold hard tyres saw him slide wide out of the final corner. Leclerc capitalised, pulling alongside and engaging in a fierce drag race down the straight – the two touching wheels as Max muscled his way across. The stewards investigated, but it was what came next that sealed his fate.

Russell, thinking Verstappen had been told to yield after their earlier tangle, went for a move into Turn 1. Max lifted ever so slightly, Russell lunged, and contact was made. Russell came out ahead; Verstappen came out penalised.

“Honestly, I’ve only ever seen moves like that in karting or iRacing,” Russell remarked sharply post-race. “Not in F1.”

The stewards agreed – slapping Verstappen with a 10-second penalty that saw him tumble from fifth to tenth in the final classification.

Leclerc Capitalises, Ferrari Quietly Consistent

Leclerc kept it clean – mostly. After a patient run in the top five, he made his move after the restart and held off Verstappen during their brush at high speed. With Verstappen penalised, Charles was promoted to third – sealing back-to-back podiums for the Scuderia.

“Once I heard Max was on hards, I knew I had a chance,” Leclerc said. “I just needed a good restart and a bit of commitment. It got feisty, but we made it stick.”

Ferrari didn’t have the outright pace to challenge McLaren, but Leclerc’s result shows their consistency is improving. Hamilton, meanwhile, could only manage seventh, his race undone by a sluggish second pit stop.

Hulkenberg Stars for Kick Sauber

Surprise of the day? Nico Hulkenberg. The German rolled back the years with a sensational race for Kick Sauber – vaulting into the top ten on Lap 1 and climbing to an eventual fifth at the flag after Verstappen’s demotion.

It’s the team’s best result of the season and lifts them off the bottom of the constructors' standings. Hulkenberg was stunned post-race: “P5? I thought I was dreaming in the cool-down room!”

Midfield Madness: Hadjar Shines, Lawson Misses Out

Isack Hadjar continued his rise, finishing P8 and once again scoring for the Racing Bulls – that’s four points finishes in five races. Gasly brought it home in P9, while Alonso finally opened his 2025 account with a gritty P9 that became P9 after Verstappen’s fall.

Lawson was the unlucky one in P11, just outside the points after a race filled with elbows-out duels. The Kiwi’s aggression was noted by the stewards more than once, but his intent was clear: fight like you want that Red Bull seat back.

Albon’s Rough Day & Antonelli’s DNF

Alex Albon had a day to forget. Two collisions, two front wings, a penalty, and retirement. Antonelli wasn’t much luckier. His car ground to a halt in the final stint, triggering the Safety Car that caused all the late mayhem.

Both retirements were a blow for their teams – Williams continue to struggle at Barcelona, and Mercedes now face reliability questions after Antonelli’s second PU issue in two races.

Stroll Sits Out, Tsunoda Starts From the Pit Lane

Lance Stroll didn’t race due to ongoing wrist pain, leaving Aston Martin running solo with Alonso. Tsunoda, meanwhile, started from the pit lane after overnight setup changes – his race never really recovered, finishing outside the points.

Championship Picture: Piastri Pulls Clear

With this win, Piastri now leads the championship by ten points over his teammate Norris, while Verstappen’s bruising race sees him fall further adrift.

Next Stop: Canada

After this blistering triple-header, the paddock gets a well-earned breather before Montreal. Expect fireworks on the fast-flowing Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – and more answers as to whether McLaren can truly go all the way.

Can Verstappen bounce back? Can Ferrari spoil the party? And is this the year of Oscar Piastri? Canada might not settle it all… but it’ll definitely stir the pot.

Classification 2025 Spanish GP

P	No	Driver	Team	Time	Laps	Grid	Pts
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0 laps	66	1	25
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0 laps	66	2	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0 laps	66	7	15
4	63	George Russell	Mercedes	+0 laps	66	4	12
5	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber	+0 laps	66	16	10
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0 laps	66	5	8
7	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+0 laps	66	9	6
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+0 laps	66	8	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0 laps	66	10	2
10	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0 laps	66	3	1
11	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+0 laps	66	13	0
12	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	+0 laps	66	12	0
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	+0 laps	66	20	0
14	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+0 laps	66	18	0
15	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+0 laps	66	19	0
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+0 laps	66	17	0
17	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+0 laps	66	15	0
DNF	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	Power unit	53	6	0
DNF	23	Alex Albon	Williams	Technical?	27	11	0
DNS	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	Injury	66	14	0

Penalties:

• Max Verstappen, Red Bull RB21 #1 - 10 sec. time penalties for causing a collision.
• Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-25  #87 - 10 sec. time penalties for causing a collision.

Fastest lap: 1:15.743 min by Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL39 (#61) on lap 61 @221.343 km/h

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