Max Verstappen tried to keep his frustration at bay as he overcame a "not nice" start to the Spanish Grand Prix before ultimately recovering to earn a crucial win.
The reigning world champion claimed his third consecutive Formula One victory in Barcelona on Sunday, profiting after title rival Charles Leclerc retired with a technical issue when seemingly on course to win.
Verstappen now holds a six-point lead at the top of the standings, an outcome that did not look likely when the Dutchman dropped from second to fourth after spinning in the early stages, as Leclerc built a huge lead.
The Dutchman also voiced his concerns on team radio as persistent issues with his DRS system hindered his attempts to pass Mercedes' George Russell during a thrilling tussle between the duo.
Verstappen, though, kept his focus and, after some help from team orders, recorded his first win in Spain since 2016, when he took his first-ever F1 victory at the same circuit.
Team-mate Sergio Perez was second in a great result for Red Bull, with Russell taking the final spot on the podium ahead of Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
"Of course I went off - I suddenly had a lot of tailwind, so I just lost the rear and went off," Verstappen said about his ninth-lap error.
"Then I was obviously in the train and trying to pass but my DRS was not always working. That made it very tough.
"But we managed use strategy to get ahead again [with three pit stops]. We tried to do our own race and eventually we got the win. So it was a difficult beginning but a good end.
"I just tried to stay focused - of course it is not nice when stuff like that happens - but at the end I am very happy to win and happy for Checo."
Verstappen insisted his anger on team radio related to his car issues, not at the way Russell was defending his position.
"It was more frustration because of my DRS," he said. "It is a great result for the team. The behaviour of the car was good on the softs."
As for Russell, third place represented a continuation of his strong start to the F1 season with Mercedes even as the team lacks its normal pace.
The Briton has finished in the top five for all six races so far, with this being his second podium.
"I gave everything I could do to hold Max off," he said. "I would love to say that [that Mercedes are back], I am proud to be standing here [in the top three].
"It hurt us a lot but when I had the Red Bull in the mirrors all I was doing was the maximum to keep them behind. It is a lot of points on the board for us and well done to Max."
Next up for the drivers is the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, which will take place on May 29.
On this day in 2021: Lewis Hamilton celebrates 100th race win in Formula One
Lewis Hamilton hailed his 100th victory as a “magical moment” following a dramatic Russian Grand Prix, on this day in 2021.
Lando Norris, 21, looked set to knock Hamilton off his perch as the youngest Briton to win a Formula One race after a composed and mature drive at Sochi’s Olympic Park.
But the McLaren star was cruelly denied his first triumph when the arrival of rain with just seven laps remaining turned the race on its head.
Norris stayed out on slick rubber but the gamble backfired. Hamilton stopped for wet tyres and crossed the line 53 seconds clear of rival Max Verstappen to bring up his landmark win, 14 years and 108 days after his first triumph in Montreal, Canada in just his sixth race.
“It has taken a long time to get to 100 and I wasn’t even sure if it would come,” said Hamilton, then 36.
“It is a magical moment. I could only have dreamed of still being here, to have this opportunity to win these races, and to drive with such phenomenal talents this late on in my career.
“I am so proud of everything we have done with Mercedes, on and off the track, and this is a special moment for everyone that has been part of it.”
Hamilton’s landmark victory took him nine clear of Michael Schumacher in the all-time standings and gave him the advantage over Max Verstappen in the title race.
But the Dutchman ultimately pipped Hamilton in a controversial season finale after the British driver extended his win record to 103, with his last success coming in Saudi Arabia.
Lando Norris claims McLaren on ‘an upward trend’ with strong driver pairing
Lando Norris believes McLaren’s strong driver pairing can be a big advantage as the team celebrated an “important milestone” with a double podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.
British driver Norris finished second for a second consecutive race, albeit well behind dominant race-winner Max Verstappen, while team-mate Oscar Piastri secured his first podium in his debut Formula One season.
After a tough start to the year, McLaren have impressed since their first big upgrade began at July’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris finished fourth at Spielberg before picking up back-to-back second-places at Silverstone and in Hungary.
Piastri, 22, has exceeded expectations this season, with a number of strong displays earning the Australian an extended contract earlier this week – none more so than at Suzuka given he had never even been to Japan before.
Norris feels their combined strength is a major plus for McLaren as they chase down Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.
“I think our advantage at the minute comparing to almost every team, bar a couple, is we have two drivers who are up there fighting for these positions and fighting for these points,” Norris said after the race at Suzuka.
“And not every team has that at the minute. So I think that’s helping us. We can help one another, we can use one another, and I think that’s a good advantage we have over a lot of other teams at the minute.
“So we’re on an upward trend. We’re making good progress and days like today prove exactly that.
“The progress we’ve made this season has been pretty incredible from my eyes, and from where we were to finishing 19 seconds behind the lead is, I think, evidence of exactly that.
“So I’m proud of everyone and we’ll keep pushing.”
Team principal Andrea Stella described the result at Suzuka as “an important milestone in our journey at McLaren”, while Piastri celebrated a significant day.
“You never forget your first podium, regardless of whether it’s been a strong performance or not,” he said.
“So yeah, it will be a special day and I won’t forget it and also ticking the first podium off the list is always a nice achievement to have.”
There are six races remaining in the 2023 season, including three sprint weekends, with a trip to Qatar next on the agenda in two weeks’ time.
McLaren have closed to 49 points of Aston Martin in the standings and CEO Zak Brown is confident they have a well-rounded car to be strong for the rest of the campaign.
“The team is just doing such a fantastic job, executing week in, week out,” Brown told Sky Sports F1.
“We are trying to catch Red Bull. All we can do is chip a tenth at a time but Max was pretty dominant. I think we will be strong at the next race, so will keep pushing.
“I feel as confident as I can we will be pretty strong everywhere, but we know there will be some tracks that favour your car more than others and we are good in the high speed, which Qatar is, so we will be strong there and not be weak anywhere.”
Max Verstappen’s intent was obvious in padel tennis match – Christian Horner
Christian Horner knew Max Verstappen was ready to return to winning ways from his aggression in a game of padel tennis as the Dutchman moved to the brink of a third world title with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen was imperious around the high-speed corner circuit at Suzuka, beating McLaren’s Lando Norris by over 19 seconds as Red Bull sealed the constructors’ championship with a record six races to spare.
The 25-year-old’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season was ended in Singapore a week ago, but he hit back in style.
Verstappen is now within touching distance of a hat-trick of world titles, extending his lead over team-mate Sergio Perez to 177 points, and could even win it in the Saturday Qatar sprint race in two weeks’ time.
“I played padel tennis with Max on Wednesday and he was properly fired up and made it clear ‘I want to win the race by 20 seconds’ and in fairness he came within 0.7 of a second of achieving that,” team principal Horner said.
“You could tell from the very first lap in practice one that he was totally focused on this event.
“It is a circuit that he loves and enjoys. It was an outstanding performance. His laps in qualifying yesterday, particularly that final lap has to be up there with one of the best laps of all-time in qualifying.
“Max is absolutely at the top of his game, he is the best driver in F1 at this point in time.
“He’s just got this inner hunger, determination and huge ability. He doesn’t get distracted by the trappings of F1. He is an out-and-out racer. If he is not racing in the real world he is racing in the virtual world.
“He’s a winner and he loves winning. You’ve seen that competitive spirit at its utmost this weekend.”
Red Bull are the first team in Formula One history to win the team championship with six races to spare as Verstappen’s victory moved the Milton Keynes-based team 318 points clear of second-placed Mercedes in the standings. It is Red Bull’s sixth constructors’ title since their debut season in F1 in 2005.
They clinched it at the track owned by their engine supplier Honda, with Horner paying tribute to the entire team.
“To achieve this sixth constructors’ championship is beyond our wildest dreams. Coming into the season I don’t think we could have ever dreamt of having a year like this,” Horner added.
“Last year was a very strong year for us but to have kept that momentum rolling through the year that we have had is testimony to all the men and women in the team that have worked tirelessly.
“To repeat a season like this, to do better than we are doing is impossible. We are riding a wave and we want to ride that wave as long as we can.
“It is very fitting that we have won the championship here on the 75th anniversary of Honda at their circuit at Suzuka.”
While Verstappen coasted to the win, it was a tough day for Perez, who broke two front wings and was handed two penalties before retiring on lap 15.
He then came back into the race briefly on lap 40 before retiring again, with the team keen for him to serve his outstanding penalty rather than suffer in Qatar.
“It was just a disastrous weekend,” Perez said.
McLaren showed further signs of their progress by comfortably beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to seal second and third – with Oscar Piastri picking up his first F1 podium.
“Another amazing day for us. A P2 and P3, so we couldn’t have asked for anymore,” Norris said.
“We are pushing, we are getting there. The progress we’ve made is pretty outstanding.”
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