Formula 1 Spanish GP: Mercedes upgrades shine through as Norris and Leclerc give more questions than answers

Max Verstappen delivers controlled finish as he wins 40th Grand Prix of his career
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It came as no surprise to anyone to see Max Verstappen win the Spanish Grand Prix and secure the 40th win of his Formula 1 career.

Red Bull fans will be living in their most beautiful dreams watching the Dutchman continue to dominate the tracks across the world but other Formula 1 fans may soon begin to tire of seeing the same 24-year-old lift the trophy each week.

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Verstappen is, without a doubt, one of the fiercest talents on the grid but there comes a point when the same results are rather monotonous - sorry, Christian Horner.

Having said that, there is clearly a limit to what the teams can do to compete with the rapacious Red Bull machines and it looks like Verstappen has already called game, set and match on the 2023 season. The Spanish Grand Prix did, however, offer several masterclasses in mid-field overtakes and showed off the upgrades Mercedes had boasted about earlier this week.

Here are some of the winners and losers from this weekend’s race in Barcelona...

Who are the winners of the Spanish Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen is the obvious choice, but other mentions must be Mercedes, Lance Stroll and Zhou Guanyu. Mercedes technical director had mentioned the new upgrades which would be featured on the W14 heading into Spain and, unlike Monaco, we were finally able to see those upgrades payoff.

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Lewis Hamilton finished an impressive second while George Russell was able to back this up with a third place finish, having sliced through the field from 12th. This was the 25-year-old’s first podium of 2023 and could hardly have come at a better time.

Mercedes celebrate their second and third place finishes in Spanish Grand PrixMercedes celebrate their second and third place finishes in Spanish Grand Prix
Mercedes celebrate their second and third place finishes in Spanish Grand Prix

Toto Wolff’s Silver Arrows are now above Aston Martin in the constructor’s championship and with rumours swirling around regarding Lewis Hamilton’s future in the sport, an 11th Spanish Grand Prix podium will have done wonders to solidify a 2024 deal with the seven-time champion.

Lance Stroll made the most of a rare weekend of disappointment for his Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso. The Canadian driver out qualified Alonso for the first time this season and was able to follow this up by finishing within the points on Sunday - the first time since Baku in April.

Another qualifying success was Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu who put on his best qualifying performance since 2023’s second round in Jeddah and he was able to finish ninth on Sunday, equalling his best result of the season and moving his team level with Haas in the fight for seventh in the constructors’ championship.

Who were the losers of the Spanish Grand Prix?

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In a nutshell, the losers were Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

Poor Lando, it seems the McLaren driver cannot catch a break this year - much like Charles Leclerc who was forced to start from the pits. Norris put on arguably his best ever qualifying performance to start third on the grid.

But early contact with Lewis Hamilton in the first lap forced the young Briton to an early pit stop and within just a few laps, Norris was in 20th position.

This was overall a weekend to forget for the Monegasque Ferrari man who qualified 19th for Sunday’s race. He was able to climb up to an 11th finish but he registered his third non-score in seven races this season and trails what should be his biggest rival, Verstappen, by 128 points.

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Expectations were high for Spain’s Fernando Alonso as we headed into the weekend. Unfortunately, however, the 41-year-old two-time world champion suffered an ‘off-weekend’. He came in seventh, which 12 months ago would have been an excellent result, but we have come to expect much more of Aston Martin and Alonso this year.

A qualifying error saw him start the race in eighth and his car offered little on both the soft and hard tyres meaning his adoring home fans were left to lament as their champion failed to secure a podium.

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