McLaren’s Oscar Piastri delivered a stunning performance to claim victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, leading a commanding one-two finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris, as chaos unfolded behind them in the final laps.
A late safety car, triggered by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli’s engine failure, turned the final five laps into a dramatic showdown—one that ultimately sabotaged Max Verstappen’s podium hopes and handed the reigning champion a bitter penalty blow.
Forced onto hard tyres with no softer compound left, Verstappen lacked grip and found himself tangled in a series of fiery incidents involving Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell.
The most controversial moment came on lap 64, when Verstappen appeared to open the door for Russell at Turn Four—only to slam into him moments later, earning a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to tenth place and handed him three penalty points, taking his tally to 11—just one shy of a race ban.
“Suddenly accelerated and collided,” the stewards ruled, holding Verstappen solely responsible for the collision with Russell.
Before the mayhem, the Red Bull driver had been on a three-stop strategy, threatening the McLaren pair from behind. But the safety car timing and lack of grip saw his charge unravel in seconds.
Piastri, meanwhile, stayed cool under pressure, grabbing his fifth win of the season and leaping into the championship lead by 10 points ahead of Norris.
Verstappen now trails the Australian by a massive 49 points, dealing a serious blow to his title defence.
