SPANISH GP: PIASTRI UNSTOPPABLE

Nine races down, five wins under his belt—Oscar Piastri is making a serious case for the championship. Sure, it’s only June, and with 15 rounds still to go, there’s plenty of room for twists and turns. But what stood out in the Spanish Grand Prix was the calm authority with which the Australian managed all 66 laps at Montmeló. A performance so composed it overshadowed teammate Lando Norris, who, fresh off a win in Monaco, had no choice but to play second fiddle—both in qualifying and in the race.

The weekend also reaffirmed a powerful truth: McLaren-Mercedes is on fire. The heat in Spain didn’t slow down the MCL39—it brought out its best. The car handled every tire compound with confidence, and while some teams scrambled in response to the new rule limiting front wing flex, McLaren responded with a smirk. No issues on their end—if anything, others were the ones thrown off balance.

With this win, Piastri adds Montmeló to a list that already includes Shanghai, Sakhir, Jeddah, and Miami—the last three in a row. Norris, too, had a solid race after a sluggish start that saw Max Verstappen jump him at lights out. But the Brit clawed his way back to P2. Heading into Spain, Norris trailed Piastri by just 3 points. That gap is now 10. The fight between the two McLaren drivers is heating up, and there’s plenty of road ahead.

For McLaren, the bigger win may have been putting more distance between their drivers and Verstappen. Red Bull-Honda tried everything to stay in the fight, even rolling out a bold three-stop strategy for Verstappen, who managed to hang near Norris. But the final act of the race brought the unexpected: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, running strong in P7, was forced to retire due to a power unit issue, triggering a safety car that turned everything on its head.

Most of the frontrunners dove into the pits. Piastri and Norris switched to softs. Verstappen had to bolt on hards—his team was out of options. In hindsight, staying out might have been wiser. On the restart, Verstappen lost traction coming out of the final turn and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc and George Russell, both on softs. Leclerc even made light contact with Verstappen’s sidepod down the straight, but it wasn’t intentional.

Then came the drama. Into Turn 1, Russell dived down the inside. Verstappen had space to hang on around the outside but chose to shortcut the chicane and rejoined ahead of the Mercedes. The team told him to give the place back. What followed was vintage Verstappen frustration—he let Russell through, then promptly ran into him at Turn 5 for no clear reason.

Though he eventually let Russell go, the damage was done. Verstappen was hit with a 10-second penalty, dropping him from fifth to tenth. One point instead of ten—a painful blow in the title fight. It didn’t help that race stewards later said he didn’t actually need to give the position back after the shortcut. A miscalculation by his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase? Perhaps—but Verstappen’s reaction cost far more.

Leclerc, meanwhile, claimed another podium following his second-place finish in Monaco. Sacrificing a set of softs in qualifying to start seventh paid off during the opening stint. The Monegasque was aggressive and smart in his overtakes, including a hard-fought duel with Lewis Hamilton, which led Ferrari to ask for a team order. The decisive move on Verstappen earned him a well-deserved P3.

Hamilton fought hard but struggled with the SF-25’s pace. After the race, he voiced his frustration, saying the car had been difficult to handle. But what will sting the most is being overtaken on the final lap by Nico Hülkenberg in a far less competitive Sauber-Ferrari. A blow Hamilton won’t forget heading into Montreal.

Still, Ferrari had reasons to smile. They leapfrogged Red Bull and Mercedes in the constructors’ standings and now sit second with 165 points. McLaren remains way out front at 362, but the Scuderia sent a message.

Russell salvaged P4 despite a poor opening lap that saw him drop from fourth to sixth. Antonelli had been holding his own before mechanical issues ended his race. And once again, Isack Hadjar delivered another standout performance—seventh place with Racing Bulls-Honda, helping the Faenza team overtake Haas in the constructors’ race.

Ocon and Bearman struggled, caught in messy battles, while Pierre Gasly secured a valuable eighth-place finish for Alpine-Renault—though the team still sits last overall. Franco Colapinto never made it out of the backmarkers, and Yuki Tsunoda had another frustrating outing, finishing out of the points again after Monaco. Fernando Alonso, at least, opened his 2025 account with a single point for Aston Martin.

Meanwhile, Williams continues to languish at the bottom, and Gabriel Bortoleto, finishing 12th, was overshadowed by his teammate Hülkenberg’s brilliant drive.

One thing is clear: this isn’t the rise of Oscar Piastri. It’s his arrival. And the rest of the grid has been officially put on notice.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.