Formula 1 Race Review - 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
Credit: Andrew Ferraro/Motorsports Images
Heading into this year’s Spanish Grand Prix, Formula One fans were buzzing at the prospect of a scintillating battle between two of the sport’s top drivers. Lando Norris, who grabbed pole from Max Verstappen on Saturday by less than the blink of an eye, was the fourth different pole winner in as many races, and was looking to take the second win of both his season and his career. Meanwhile, the all-conquering Verstappen had downplayed the strength of his RB20 to the media, saying that Red Bull’s days of domination were over. However, he was poised to do battle with the young Norris as the lights went out in Barcelona.
Verstappen got a better jump off the line, and the young Brit in the McLaren responded by squeezing him towards the grass. While the top two tangled, George Russell, who had started back in fourth, was gaining ground on both of them, picking up a slipstream as they hurtled towards turn one. Jumping to the outside of both of them, Russell stole the racing line, and swooped ahead of the pair of them through the first corner. Meanwhile, Verstappen succeeded in getting past Norris in turn one, but now had the Mercedes of Russell to contend with.
Fortunately for the Dutchman, the W15 was no match for his RB20, and he flew past Russell on lap three. However, Lando Norris was not as fortunate, as he had to push to keep up with one Mercedes in front while facing pressure from the other, driven by Lewis Hamilton, behind him. McLaren told the young British driver to look after his tires in hopes of running long, and taking advantage of clean air once those ahead pitted. However, this strategy along with his inability to clear George Russell meant that Norris gave up precious seconds to Verstappen down the road, seconds that he would desperately want back later in the Grand Prix.
The first round of pit stops ensued, and as according to plan, Norris in the McLaren ran long, as did Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari. Leclerc had gotten passed by his teammate Carlos Sainz in the opening laps of the race, and was trying to take advantage of strategy to get ahead. However, there was no gain to be had initially, as both Leclerc and Norris lost track position after pitting a number of laps after the other leaders. The undercut was particularly powerful around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, meaning that those who changed tires earlier in their stints, particularly Russell and Sainz, emerged from the cycle with a big gap to those who stopped late. On the flip side, this left them at a tire disadvantage, meaning that Norris and Leclerc were able to attack on fresher rubber to make up the ground they had lost.
Norris charged past Sainz and Hamilton, but found overtaking George Russell to be a harder task. The McLaren driver pulled off a dazzling move around the outside of turn three to initially take the position, but Russell saw an opportunity to make his own move around the outside one corner later. The Mercedes man seized his opportunity, and emerged from the fourth turn side by side with Norris, giving him the inside line and the advantage in the ensuing corner. Russell completed the pass, but Norris pulled off a masterful switch-back to get a better exit off the corner, and pull back alongside the Mercedes. This time, the McLaren was on the preferred inside line, and at last, Norris got ahead of George Russell for good. Now that he had finally passed the man he had been stuck behind the whole race, the young Brit could set his sights on Verstappen ahead.
Sainz and Russell, having run short on their first stints, were once again forced to make early pit stops compared to the rest of the top ten, and chose to fit the hard tires on to get them to the end. Everyone else was able to run longer, and bolt on a set of soft compound tires to go on the offensive as the Grand Prix came to a close. Norris emerged from the pit lane roughly eight seconds behind leader Max Verstappen, a gap similar to what had accumulated over the opening laps of the race when he was behind Russell. The McLaren driver had a few lap fresher tires than the Dutchman, but was forced to put his head down and push flat-out to make up the deficit that getting undercut twice had created. Meanwhile, Sainz and Russell began to get swallowed up by those on the soft tires, as they were both quickly passed by their teammates who had run behind them all race, but now had the pace advantage.
Norris gave it everything he had, even getting within two seconds of the lead by the checkered flag, but ultimately, the pace of Verstappen as well as the gap he had diligently built up proved too much for the young star seeking his second win in the sport. Instead, Max Verstappen took his 61st win in Formula One, and his seventh of the season. Norris had to settle for second, while fellow British driver Lewis Hamilton bagged his first podium since last year’s Mexican Grand Prix. After an admittedly poor race last time out in Canada, the seven-time World Champion returned to form in Spain with a strong drive that saw him score his best result in a Grand Prix this season.
Behind him was his teammate Russell, who fought Charles Leclerc tooth and nail all the way to the line in a scrap over fourth place. In the end, not even the soft tires under the Ferrari could propel it past the W15, and the Scuderia were left with a disappointing fifth and sixth place result, as Sainz was left in no-man’s land on the hard tires. Oscar Piastri capped off a fairly anonymous day in seventh place for McLaren, as a poor qualifying effort meant he never got to fight for the win like his teammate did. Max Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, fared no better, as the Mexican driver could only manage an eighth place finish after a disappointing qualifying and subsequent grid penalty left him starting down in 11th place. Red Bull devised a three stop strategy in hopes of vaulting Perez up the field, but ultimately, he was barely able to finish ahead of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in the Alpines, who came home in ninth and tenth, respectively.
The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix will be remembered by fans as a race that was ultimately decided in the opening laps, and by Lando Norris as a race of what could have been. Had the McLaren driver been able to stay in touch with Verstappen in the beginning and not get bogged down behind Russell, the F1 community might well have been celebrating the second victory of their young star’s career. However, it was simply too little too late for Norris, and yet another win for Max Verstappen, who despite not having a car miles ahead of the pack anymore, is showing why he is still the best driver in Formula One at the moment. He will have another chance to prove himself in a week’s time in Austria, a race where the Dutchman always receives unwavering support from the local fans, and typically rewards them with a victory. However, Norris, Hamilton, and the rest of the pack will be eager to spoil the party, and unseat the mighty Verstappen next time out.
