Max Verstappen makes history in Spain

Max Verstappen, in only his second year of competition, made history in his maiden ride with Red Bull and  took to the top step of the podium in Barcelona.

Working on a two-stop strategy, the driver of the No. 33 Red Bull Racing car held off a hard charging Kimi Räikkönen for over 20 laps to score the victory in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. At 18 years, seven months and 16 days old, Verstappen displaced Sebastian Vettel as the youngest winner in Formula 1 history.

“It feels amazing,” Verstappen said. “I can’t believe it. It was a great race. I have to say thank you to the team for giving me such a great car. To win straight away in the first race, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Verstappen, who had never turned a lap in a car for RBR, took over the ride formerly occupied by Daniil Kvyat after the Russian Grand Prix.

Räikkönen brought his No. 7 Scuderia Ferrari home to a runner-up finish. Vettel rounded out the podium in his No. 5 Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo, who led most of the race, brought his No. 3 RBR car home fourth in spite of a tire puncture with two laps remaining. Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top-five in his No. 77 Williams-Martini Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz Jr. finished sixth in his No. 55 Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari. Sergio Pérez finished seventh in his No. 11 Sahara Force India Mercedes. Felipe Massa, after failing to advance out of Q1 the day before, finished eighth in his No. 19 Williams Mercedes. Jenson Button finished ninth in his No. 22 McLaren-Honda. After being relegated to the sister Toro Rosso team, Kvyat brought his No. 26 car home to a 10th-place finish.

As for the Haas F1 Team, Esteban Gutiérrez finished 11th in his No. 21 car and Romain Grosjean exited the race with less than 16 laps remaining and finished unclassified. As of the publishing of this piece, no reason was given for Grosjean’s retirement.

Championship leaders Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were involved in a lap 1 wreck that took both of them out going into turn 4. As of the publishing of this piece, no actions have been taken by the stewards.

Rosberg leaves Barcelona with the championship lead. Räikkönen leap-frogged Hamilton for second and tails Rosberg by 39 points. Hamilton trails by 43. Vettel and Ricciardo leave tied for fourth trailing by 52. Race winner Verstappen leaves sixth trailing by 62.

The next race on the Formula 1 calendar is the Grand Prix of Monaco on May 29.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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