Alonso Salvages Points at Home & More!
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix delivered a well-rounded spectacle at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. From on-track drama to best-of-year performances, here are your highlights.
McLaren Momentum Continues
Oscar Piastri earned the spotlight with a clinical drive to P1. He had to earn it though, as teammate Lando Norris was in the hunt and Red Bulls Max Verstappen, on a 3-stop strategy was in the fight until a late safety car. In the end, a frustrated Verstappen lost a podium position and valuable champion points due to frustration. Keep reading.
Another Safety Car Cliffhanger
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix looked poised for a steady finish—until chaos struck with just over 10 laps to go. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli pulled off track with a mechanical issue, triggering a late-race Safety Car that flipped the strategy board upside down.
A flurry of pit stops followed. Nearly the entire grid, including the leading trio of Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri, dove in for fresh rubber. But in a move that proved costly, Red Bull fitted Verstappen with hard tyres, while most others—including his closest rivals—switched to softs or mediums. Obviously not the Dutchman’s first tire choice, but it’s all he had left.
When the Safety Car pulled in on Lap 60, a six-lap dash to the flag ensued. Piastri nailed the restart, allowing both McLarens to gap the field quickly. Behind them, though, mayhem erupted.
Charles Leclerc surged past Verstappen on the main straight and made contact during the move.
Though the incident was investigated, no penalty was issued. Moments later, George Russell lunged at Verstappen, resulting in more contact and forcing the Red Bull driver onto the escape road. Red Bull asked Verstappen to give the position back—but when Russell tried again, the two collided once more.
This time, Verstappen wasn’t so lucky. The stewards slapped him with a 10-second time penalty for avoidable contact, dropping him from fifth to a lowly tenth. Russell didn’t mince words afterward: “My perspective is that I just got crashed into!”
Alonso’s Grit and Stroll’s Selfish Call
If there was a silver lining for Spanish fans, it was Fernando Alonso salvaging a few valuable points with a P9 finish. That may not sound headline-worthy, but considering this has been his worst start to a season in nearly a decade, any finish inside the top ten felt like a minor victory. It was a gritty drive from the two-time champ, who continues to outperform the Aston Martin AMR25 more than it deserves.
However, the bigger story from Aston Martin wasn’t Alonso’s points—it was Lance Stroll’s puzzling decision to participate in qualifying despite having no intention of starting the race on Sunday due to a lingering wrist injury.
That choice blocked reserve driver Felipe Drugovich from making what would’ve been his long-overdue F1 debut. Since winning the 2022 Formula 2 championship, Drugovich has waited patiently in the wings. But once again, the opportunity was denied—arguably because Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, didn’t want to risk being outshone by a hungry young talent.
It’s an unfortunate, almost selfish, reality of modern Formula 1 politics, and it’s starting to wear thin with fans and insiders alike.
Final Thoughts
All things considered, the Spanish GP was an entertaining chapter in the 2025 season.
Click HERE for full Results.
Now it’s two weeks off until the F1 Canadian GP.
IMAGES: F1, Getty, AutomotiveWoman
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