Verstappen rewrites F1 history booksposted in F115 | 05 | 2016
MAX VERSTAPPEN REWROTE Formula One’s history books today when he became the youngest-ever winner of a grand prix. At 18 years and 227 days, the talented young Dutchman also won on his first outing being the wheel of his new Red Bull.
It was a Spanish Grand Prix to remember, in more ways than one. Within 30-seconds of the starts, both Mercedes had crashed out when pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and team-mate, world championship leader Nico Rosberg, clashed.
Starting second on the grid, Rosberg made a slightly better start than Hamilton and passed the three-times world champ around the outside of Turn 1.
Exiting Turn 3, as Rosberg’s car appeared to go into “harvesting mode”, resulting in a drop in power, Hamilton gained a superb launch, moving into the German’s slipstream and across to the right as he aimed for an overtake.
At the last second, Rosberg aggressively covered off Hamilton’s ambitious move, but only after the Englishman had managed to get his front wing aligned with the German's right-rear tyre.
Trying to avoid what had become an inevitable collision, Hamilton took to the grass, but immediately went into a slide and careered into Rosberg, sending both into the gravel at Turn 4.
Hamilton immediately covered his visor with both hands, and after a period of reflection sat in his car, later flung his steering wheel out in a fit of anger.
The safety car was immediately deployed Daniel Ricciardo leading new team-mate Verstappen, followed by Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr, who had started eighth, and the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
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Once Vettel and Raikkonen had passed Sainz, the grand prix developed into a tense Red Bull versus Ferrari battle began, matching strategy at their first stops for mediums, before both teams then split tactics.
Leader Ricciardo returned to soft rubber after his second stop — immediately indicating a three-stop plan — and was covered off by third-placed Vettel a lap later.
Both Verstappen — who had closed to within seven tenths of Ricciardo — and Raikkonen remained out, not pitting until laps 34 and 35 respectively and taking on medium tyres to commit to a two-stop strategy with a long stint to the finish.
Rather strangely, after just eight laps on the softs, Ferrari then decided to bring Vettel in again for his third stop, and fitted mediums.
Following a poor few laps, leader Ricciardo then pitted again to take on his set of mediums after 43 laps, emerging some distance behind third-placed Vettel. At the front, Verstappen held on to a one-second cushion to Raikkonen.
It was a lead that Toro Rosso graduate, Verstappen — who only joined Red Bull 10 days ago, after swapping seats with Daniil Kvyat — was never to relinquish, despite incessant pressure from Raikkonen.
Taking the chequered flag, and fist-pumping in celebration, an emotional but clinical Verstappen — who led for the final 32 of the 66 laps at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya — eclipsed Vettel's record by more than two years. At the end of the 66-lap race, he beat Raikkonen by just 0.6s, with Vettel third, a further 4.9s down.
With seven laps remaining, Ricciardo attempted a pass on Vettel for third into Turn 1, but slightly overcooked it and allowed the four-time champion back through. The German though had been forced to take evasive action to avoid hitting the Aussie’s Red Bull as he rejoined the track. The incident led to Vettel letting rip an an expletive-laden radio rant.
Such was Ricciardo’s lead over the Williams of fifth-placed Valtteri Bottas, that the Aussie could pit following a right-rear puncture, and still hold on to his fourth place at the finish.
Sainz crossed the line in sixth, followed by the Force India of Sergio Perez, with the Williams of Felipe Massa — who had started 18th — finishing eighth. McLaren’s Jenson Button scored two points in ninth, ahead of Kvyat Toro Rosso.
F1 World Championship — Spanish Grand Prix (Result):
1. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull-Renault 66 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari-Ferrari +0.6s
3. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari +5.5s
4. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault +43.9s
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes +45.2s
6. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Ferrari +61.3s
7. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes +1m 19.6s
8. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes +1m 20.7s
9. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda +1 lap
10. Daniil Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
11. Esteban Gutierrez MEX Haas-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap
13. Jolyon Palmer GBR Renault-Renault +1 lap
14. Felipe Nasr BRA Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap
15. Kevin Magnussen DEN Renault-Renault +1 lap*
16. Pascal Wehrlein GER Manor-Mercedes +1 lap
17. Rio Haryanto INA Manor-Mercedes +1 lap
Did not finish
Romain Grosjean FRA Haas-Ferrari 56 laps completed
Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda 45 laps completed
Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes 20 laps completed
Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes-Mercedes 0 laps completed
Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-Mercedes 0 laps completed
*Kevin Magnussen handed 10 second post-race time penalty for incident with Jolyon Palmer on the final lap
Related: Verstappen hails "amazing opportunity"
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Jim McGill