Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Max Verstappen extended his championship lead with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver’s one-sided race was expected after dominating qualifying on Saturday.
However, Verstappen still managed to set the fastest lap , and he will leave Barcelona with a 53-point lead in the title race.
The Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – who started fourth and 12th on the grid respectively – both produced excellent drives to make the podium.
With Verstappen leading from start to finish, the entertainment came from the chasing pack, one which changed from the second corner onwards as Lando Norris – who had started third – made contact with Hamilton and was forced to pit at the end of the first lap.
Norris would ultimately finish a disappointing 17th, and he was joined outside of the points by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who had started from the pit lane after qualifying in 19th spot, eventually finishing in 1th position.
Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull produced a solid drive, improving from 11th to finish in fourth, and the Mexican was only outdone by the Mercedes after they were able to prolong the use of their first set of tyres due to the cooler track temperature.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr failed to make the most of his front-row start as he ended the race in fifth, ahead of Lance Stroll who edged out Aston Martin teammate and home favourite Fernando Alonso.
The Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished eighth and 10th respectively, either side of Zhou Guanyu who earned ninth spot in the Alfa Romeo.
Perez is now 18 points clear of Alonso in the race for second, while Hamilton has closed the gap to third-placed Alonso to just 12 points.
