While Oscar Piastri grabbed headlines with a clinical win in Barcelona, it was Charles Leclerc who quietly emerged as one of the race’s most impressive performers—snatching a well-earned podium amid late-race chaos that saw Max Verstappen and George Russell collide in spectacular fashion.
The Spanish Grand Prix delivered another twist in the title saga, with Piastri leading a dominant McLaren 1-2 ahead of team-mate Lando Norris. But all eyes weren’t on papaya orange alone. As the drama unfolded behind, Leclerc steered clear of the carnage and brought his Ferrari home in third—his seventh podium of the season and arguably one of his most hard-fought.
Piastri got off the line cleanly from pole, pulling away from Verstappen who had muscled past Norris at Turn 1. But an early round of pit stops threw strategy wide open. Verstappen leapfrogged both McLarens temporarily, only to dive in again for an early second stop. That prompted speculation of a three-stop strategy from Red Bull—one that might have paid off were it not for a mid-race Safety Car caused by Kimi Antonelli’s stricken Mercedes.
When the dust settled and the race resumed for a six-lap sprint, Leclerc capitalised on fresher tyres to overtake Verstappen for third. That moment proved pivotal—not just for the Monegasque driver, but for the shape of the championship. Verstappen then tangled with Russell not once but twice, earning himself a 10-second penalty that dropped him to tenth.
Ahead, Piastri and Norris escaped the chaos to claim a commanding one-two finish, but Leclerc’s composed drive and racecraft ensured Ferrari stayed in the podium mix—an increasingly familiar sight in a season where Red Bull’s dominance has begun to falter.
George Russell held on to fourth for Mercedes, while Nico Hülkenberg pulled off one of the drives of the day to finish fifth for Kick Sauber, having started from 15th. Lewis Hamilton, now firmly in Ferrari red, came home sixth, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar impressed once more with a solid seventh-place finish.
The final points went to Pierre Gasly (eighth), a resurgent Fernando Alonso in ninth—his first points of the season on home soil—and Verstappen, demoted to tenth after the stewards handed him a time penalty.
Further back, Liam Lawson narrowly missed out in 11th for Racing Bulls, with Gabriel Bortoleto finishing 12th and Yuki Tsunoda 13th after a quiet run for Red Bull. Carlos Sainz endured a dismal afternoon in front of his home crowd, limping home 14th for Williams, with Franco Colapinto in 15th.
The Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman brought up the rear in 16th and 17th, as only 19 drivers made the start following Lance Stroll’s withdrawal due to a wrist injury.
But it was Leclerc who emerged as the quiet hero of the day—cool under pressure, opportunistic when it counted, and leaving Spain with silverware in hand and the championship door ever so slightly ajar.
