Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix 2024 ahead of McLaren’s polesitter Lando Norris, extending his lead in the motor racing world championship.
Lewis Hamilton finished third on Sunday at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, his first podium finish of the season.
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The racing may be closer than the previous two seasons, but Verstappen always manages to pull it out of the bag when it counts the most.
This was his 61st career win, seventh of the season, and fourth at the circuit where he made his Formula One (F1) debut as a youngster in 2016, and see now Verstappen Won the Spanish Grand Prix 2024.
Verstappen now leads the Formula One drivers’ championship with 219 points. Norris now ranks in second position in the championship rankings without 150 points, surpassing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who has 148.
Qualifying Drama and Pole Position
The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying session delivered some of the season’s most gripping action, marked by narrow gaps and surprising developments.
Lando Norris stunned the paddock by capturing pole with a stellar lap, narrowly beating Max Verstappen by just two-hundredths of a second. It was only Norris’s second pole of the 2024 season, and it showcased the growing pace of McLaren’s upgraded package.
Q3 featured several tense moments, with drivers frequently exceeding track limits – especially at Turns 9 and 13 – resulting in multiple lap times being disqualified.
Both Ferrari and Mercedes struggled for ultimate pace, but managed to keep their drivers within striking distance of the front row. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso each had scrappy sessions, with Alonso even damaging his floor after running wide in the final practice earlier in the day.
The session also highlighted the growing divide in performance, as both Alpine and Aston Martin were unable to progress past Q2 – underscoring the widening gap between the frontrunners and the midfield pack.
The tight layout of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, combined with hotter-than-expected track temperatures, created the perfect storm for tire overheating—a factor that led to minor setup adjustments during qualifying.
This qualifying result was especially significant for Norris, not only boosting his confidence but also placing him in a strong position to challenge Verstappen early in the race. Given Verstappen’s superior race pace, however, there were immediate concerns about whether the McLaren driver could hold the lead into Turn 1. Regardless, his pole was a significant morale boost for the Woking-based team and a clear warning to Red Bull: the gap is closing.
