Barcelona, June 1 (IANS) Oscar Piastri delivered a dominant performance to win the Spanish Grand Prix and further extend his lead in the championship standings. The 24-year-old Australian led a McLaren 1-2, ahead of teammate Lando Norris with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc rounding off the podium.

Starting from pole, Piastri built an early advantage as Norris lost out to Max Verstappen at Turn 1. Although Norris quickly regained the place, Verstappen surged past both McLarens during the first round of pit stops to take the lead. However, the Red Bull driver’s early second stop returned the lead to Piastri, sparking speculation of a three-stop strategy.

That gamble became clearer when Verstappen pitted again late in the race, just as a Safety Car was deployed following Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. The neutralization allowed most frontrunners to pit once more, setting up a six-lap sprint to the finish.

Piastri and Norris broke clear at the restart, while Verstappen fell into battles with Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Leclerc passed him for third, and a controversial clash with Russell saw Verstappen forced off-track. After being told to return the position, Verstappen collided with Russell again and was handed a 10-second penalty, dropping him to tenth.

Leclerc completed the podium in third for Ferrari, with Russell fourth. Nico Hulkenberg impressed with a charge from 15th to fifth for Kick Sauber. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth for Ferrari, followed by Isack Hadjar in seventh and Pierre Gasly in eighth. Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season in ninth, while Verstappen rounded out the top ten.

Further back, Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on points, with Gabriel Bortoleto, Yuki Tsunoda, and Carlos Sainz behind. Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, and Ollie Bearman were the final classified drivers. Antonelli and Alex Albon retired, while Lance Stroll withdrew from the event due to injury.

–IANS

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