ROUND 9: 🇪🇸 Spain
FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2025
Circuit stats
- First Grand Prix: 1991
- Number of laps: 66
- Circuit Length: 4.657 km
- Race Distance: 307.236 km
- Lap record: 1:16.330 Max Verstappen (2023)
- 2024 winner: Max Verstappen
FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2025
It’s a shame for Max that they stuck him on hards after he’d raced so well, but jesus christ does he get away with some nonsense. Ten seconds for intentionally crashing into a competitor? Ridiculously light.
He obviously went for the “ahead at the apex” rulebending* that he’s used so effectively by rolling off the brakes and trying to claim the position off track on T1, and then when it doesn’t go his way he’s lost his head.
He’s the best driver on the grid, not just in terms of speed but also consistency, track awareness and shrewd rule awareness too - but when he behaves like this it reflects poorly, the way it did when Schumacher was doing this sort of thing too. I guess that kind of anger is part of what makes a best-of-the-best racing driver though.
*It’s not really rulebending, more following the letter of the law than the spirit, which is what makes a fantastic competitor – very clever, very much maximising every inch of the track and of the rulebook.
Absolutely, but his signature move works only if he somewhat hits the apex, in this case he couldn’t because of Russell alongside him. He should have accepted the screw up of gambling on multiple softs and having none at the end. They are professionals, such revengeful behavior because he’s pissed has no place on any race track. I’m pretty sure being short tempered isn’t required to become a champion. Unfortunately, as you said, we have multiple examples of it.
Yep he went full Jos mode again which is a big big shame. I saw the replays of leclerc and russell and I can see where his frustration is coming from but in moments like this and after all these years he is still not able to keep himself in check. Let him pass, avoid a penalty and retry to overtake.
This might have been the moment the small chance at a WDC was thrown away (also by the team by putting him on hards).
I meant they discuss on tires strategy so given yesterday strategy with tires in qualify the hard must have been an option discussed.
Meme: You guys discussed about it, right? Right?
I imagine though that they weren’t planning that additional stop under safety car. I suppose the data must have showed that fresh hards had a better chance than old softs on a restart like that, and maybe that was correct and we wouldn’t be having this discussion at all, had Max not had that slide coming onto the start/finish straight as the race got underway again. Just a bit of bad luck for the team really, I think – although you’re right, they probably would have discussed hards at some point this weekend.