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Carlos Sainz scored his first victory in seven months during a race where Max Verstappen, the current leader of the World Championship, made two big mistakes and ended up with 20 seconds in penalties.
Sainz started in pole position, and while his race went pretty smoothly, there was a lot of drama behind him early on. Verstappen had some intense battles with Lando Norris, who tried to pass him in Turn 4. Verstappen defended hard, pushing Norris off the track, which earned him a 10-second penalty. A few corners later, Verstappen made a risky overtaking attempt, went off track again, and got hit with another 10-second penalty.
With those penalties, Verstappen fell out of the running for a podium finish. Even without the penalties, the speed of both Ferraris and Lando Norris suggested that Verstappen's Red Bull wasn't in contention for the top spots.
After an aggressive move from his teammate Charles Leclerc, Sainz pulled away from the pack and led the 72-lap race. Leclerc looked set for a solid second place, which would have marked Ferrari's first double podium since 2008. However, on lap 59, Norris showed up in Leclerc’s mirrors, and the two started battling. Norris had an easier time when Leclerc lost control in Turn 17 on lap 63 and let him pass.
Sergio Perez finished last after first getting a five-second penalty for a false start and then colliding with Liam Lawson, a driver many expect will replace him at Red Bull. The damage he took likely made his race even tougher.
For Mercedes, it was worrying that Lewis Hamilton, on a newer car, couldn’t keep up as Russell zoomed past him early in the race. Hamilton struggled to catch up to his teammate, even with Russell dealing with front wing damage.
For Norris, finishing on the podium reduced Verstappen’s championship lead, but he’ll need to keep an eye on both Ferraris, as the Italian team is in impressive form. With their double podium finish, Ferrari moved ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.
Haas had another great day, with both drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg, scoring points, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.
On the flip side, it was a rough race for Fernando Alonso, who marked his 400th race start with a mechanical failure on lap 15.
Charles Leclerc shares his view
Charles Leclerc commented on the recent race, particularly addressing Max Verstappen's aggressive driving, which is not unusual for the Dutch driver and something we have witnessed many times before. The Monegasque driver believes that Verstappen's aggressive style actually works in his favor, as it opens up opportunities for him to succeed in those moments. However, Leclerc also stressed that Verstappen has a huge advantage that will be difficult to overcome. He sees his primary battle right now as being with Lando Norris.
“I welcome Max being as aggressive to Lando as possible because it helps me, at least it gives me chances to be closer to Lando in the drivers’ championship because it’s still a fight,” he said, as quoted by Race Fans.
“If anything, it’s more a fight, Lando and myself than with Max, who has quite an advantage in points.”
Leclerc explained that he thinks it's best not to focus on the drivers' championship just yet, as it doesn't really help him achieve his goals. Instead, he wants to concentrate on each race individually.
He is a relatively young driver, but he already has considerable experience, having been in the sport for several years. Charles had serious ambitions, especially after last season, but it’s clear that Red Bull could once again finish at the top this year. Ferrari's intention is to disrupt the plans of the Austrian team in the coming races. Whether they will succeed remains to be seen.
Ferrari driver also mentioned that winning the championship is partly out of his control. He believes that if he wins all his races, he increases his chances, but he can't depend on Verstappen having bad weekends. So, he plans to do his best for the rest of the season and will look at the standings when it's all over.
Sainz is aware that the last race could easily have gone in favor of Norris, who, according to his judgment and many, was considerably faster. However, the battle between Verstappen and Norris was crucial for Ferrari to win this race. The young driver believes that he would not have a chance to stay at the top without the fight between the Dutchman and the Briton. Charles can be happy with his performance, given that he managed to achieve a great result in such a strong McLaren and Red Bull race.
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