Max Verstappen’s deficit to Oscar Piastri nearly doubled in Barcelona. With three additional penalty points, he also faces the threat of a race ban. What has gone wrong? Here is a look at Verstappen’s clash with George Russell and Red Bull’s mistakes that preceded it.
Verstappen looked on his way to a 'usual' third place in the Spanish Grand Prix, which would have been the normal outcome based on pure race pace. McLaren remained in a league of its own in Barcelona, even after the FIA clampdown on flexi-wings, forcing Red Bull to try something different. That different approach was a three-stop strategy. A valid attempt, since strategy is the next best weapon if a team lacks pure pace. It at least pressured McLaren - as Andrea Stella admitted afterwards - and allowed Verstappen to push harder on each set of tyres.
