Having not even needed a second run in the final part of Qualifying to secure pole on Saturday, Verstappen once more appeared to have plenty in hand, only showing his true pace in the closing stages to seal the extra point available for the fastest lap of the race. The most pressure he faced was from Ferrari's Sainz at the first corner, but he overcame what appeared to be a slightly inferior start to hold the lead, and from there cruised into the distance. Red Bull's Max Verstappen retained the lead from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz at the start in Spain, while McLaren's Lando Norris had to pit for a new front wing following a collision with Lewis Hamilton

Those predictions were proved accurate, as the Dutchman came through the weekend to claim victory with plenty to spare. Red Bull's lead in the constructors' championship grows to 135 points, with Mercedes moving above Aston Martin into second.ġ0) Pierre Gasly, Alpine Imperious Verstappen maintains dominanceĪfter emerging victorious in Monaco last weekend at a track where Red Bull were expected to face their stiffest challenge of 2023 to date, Verstappen was always expected to be particularly difficult to beat at the more traditional Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Verstappen's win extends Red Bull's streak to seven victories to start the 2023 season, with the Dutchman in imperious form as he continues his quest for a third successive drivers' title.

Lewis Hamilton overtook Carlos Sainz to go second, with reports suggesting rain could cause chaos in the latter stages of the Spanish GPĮsteban Ocon maintained Alpine's recent upturn in form to finish eighth, while team-mate Pierre Gasly took the final point after Yuki Tsunoda received a five-second penalty for impeding Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu, who claimed an impressive ninth.

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