Ferrari claims a podium with Charles Leclerc in the Spanish Grand Prix, the ninth spherical of the 2025 System 1 championship. The Barcelona F1 race ends with out penalties for the Monegasque driver, who after the FIA investigation comes out “clear” from the shut encounter with Max Verstappen. For Lewis Hamilton, nonetheless, issues didn’t go as anticipated. The Englishman struggled with stability points whereas carrying a number of gas and was unable to ship his greatest efficiency within the SF-25.
In the beginning, most drivers opted for Mushy tires, each new and used. Strategic forecasts indicated a two-stop Spanish Grand Prix to take care of a excessive tempo. Ferrari selected Pirellis marked with crimson for each drivers, however Charles Leclerc had a barely brisker set than the one Lewis Hamilton was utilizing. Within the first laps, Max Verstappen confirmed a powerful tempo.
However his set of tires was two laps older than Oscar Piastri’s, the race chief. Then the Dutchman started to undergo, whereas McLaren stood out for a simpler thermal administration. Oscar Piastri however reported some rear difficulties, comprehensible contemplating how front-loaded the MCL39 single-seater was.
We’re speaking a couple of stability geared toward favoring rotation, however on the similar time it confused the rear axle of the papaya-colored automobiles a bit an excessive amount of. In distinction, different groups centered on defending the rear axle as a lot as doable, however this mechanically compromised the front-end’s effectiveness.
Ferrari responded to a Mercedes transfer, whereas Purple Bull tried one thing totally different by bringing Max Verstappen in for his first cease on lap 14. As soon as again on monitor, the Dutchman pushed at full throttle, with out even a lap to adapt: a transparent signal of the intention to play the three-stop card. The tempo was not sufficient to threaten the McLarens however was higher than Ferrari and Mercedes.
Purple Bull discovered itself within the perfect place to try a extra aggressive technique. The primary of the 2 Ferrari automobiles to cease was Lewis Hamilton’s, pressured to cowl the undercut try by George Russell. To keep away from shedding place to the seven-time System 1 world champion, the Italian group selected to carry him in early, accepting to increase the following stint.
In the meantime, Mercedes confronted a troublesome alternative: prolong the stint or pit instantly. Nevertheless, the overcut proved to be ineffective and even counterproductive. Charles Leclerc was additionally referred to as within the following lap to forestall Lewis Hamilton from gaining floor with new tires. As usually occurs, Ferrari set a cautious begin to the stint for each drivers, an additional purpose to keep away from shedding positions in the course of the pit stops.
Each mounted Medium tires, the identical compound the Maranello group deliberate to make use of once more on the finish. With the cease sport, Mercedes managed to strain Ferrari, forcing it to pit earlier. George Russell pitted on lap 23 to placed on Mediums. The four-lap hole to Lewis Hamilton may have mattered within the second half, however entrance tire degradation confirmed up sooner than anticipated, negating a number of the benefit.
Purple Bull’s plan was to realize via tempo. Between laps 21 and 22, each McLaren automobiles made their first stops, becoming Medium tires as predicted. Every pit cease prices about 21 seconds, and realizing he needed to make three stops, Max Verstappen wanted to recuperate a minimum of four-tenths per lap. Within the center section, till the MCL39 automobiles stopped, the Dutchman reduce the hole by about one and a half seconds per lap, sufficient to alarm the Woking pit.
In response to Purple Bull’s calculations, round lap 40 McLaren really felt the danger. After a really intense second half, Max Verstappen pitted for the final time on lap 41 switching to Softs: the concept was to attempt a last cost to seize a minimum of one podium step. On the similar second, Charles Leclerc made his second tire change. The one real looking goal was to lock in fourth place and defend towards any Mercedes comeback.
Once more, the selection fell on a second set of Mediums, thought of extra constant than the Softs. Nevertheless, the Ferrari group most popular to not threat, selecting strategic consistency over creativity. The administration of the Pirelli tires appeared strong, as already seen in Imola, particularly for Charles Leclerc, an indication of improved management over floor temperatures.
The Security Automotive ruined all the pieces for Verstappen and proved an sudden alternative for the Maranello group. On lap 54, the Security Automotive got here out attributable to Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. Nevertheless, its look didn’t provide vital strategic benefits because the predominant stops had been already finished. In truth, for Max Verstappen—already having pitted thrice—the neutralization was a blow.
With Mushy tires used for 11 laps, Purple Bull was pressured to pit for a fourth cease as a result of the competitors was making ready to mount brisker tires (nearly all on Softs used for 4 laps). Solely Nico Hülkenberg had a brand new set. Basically, Purple Bull judged Max Verstappen’s tires too worn to defend on the restart, particularly towards rivals with brisker compounds.
With out another units of Mushy tires out there, they opted for the Laborious tires, the one various left. On the restart, nonetheless, the exhausting compound proved ineffective: the temperature had not but reached the perfect vary and Verstappen misplaced grip exiting the final nook. The outcome was a double overtake by Charles Leclerc and George Russell, which excluded the Dutchman from the rostrum.
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