Spanish GP takeaways: Red Bull, Verstappen crumble as McLaren dominates

We'll offer our takeaways following each race weekend this year. Here are our thoughts after the Spanish Grand Prix.

Moments that decided the race 👀

Verstappen's frustration reaches boiling point

Track temperatures at the Barcelona circuit neared 50 degrees Celsius, but that was probably still cooler than the temperature inside the cockpit of Max Verstappen's car after a race of desperation from Red Bull.

Verstappen's frustration hit a boiling point on Lap 64 when he barged into the side of George Russell after being ordered to concede the position. That move resulted in a 10-second penalty, dropping him to 10th - his worst finish in eight seasons. Verstappen has found himself in situations like this one many times before - situations where he takes matters, and his frustration, into his own hands. And yet every situation like this ends with no benefit to Verstappen, who left Barcelona with only one point.

But the Dutch champion wasn't the only one who snapped. Red Bull's operation seemingly had nothing left in the tank under the Spanish heat.

It started with promise, as Verstappen overtook Lando Norris on Lap 1. But by Lap 13, he was powerless to defend due to a lack of pace. It was an early gut punch for a team that at one point thought this weekend's flexi-wing clampdown would hurt its rivals and that an Imola package fixed its tire management problems.

Then, when a safety car was ordered on Lap 55, Red Bull made a series of critical errors that doomed Verstappen's race. With no soft tires remaining due to the three-stop strategy, the champion was forced to pit for new hard tires. Staying with the used softs would arguably have been better than going with the hard compounds. After all, no other driver or team touched or even considered the hards due to their severe lack of grip.

Verstappen had to steer himself out of a spin before being passed by Charles Leclerc for the final podium spot, and then came Russell with an opportunistic lunge at Turn 1, which forced Verstappen off. The Red Bull pilot retained the position by taking an escape road before the team advised him to give the place to Russell. Verstappen argued it was not necessary before ultimately relenting, but not without driving into Russell first.

As it turned out, Verstappen was right, though it did little to redeem his race.

Red Bull has spent all of 2025 convincing itself, the world, and maybe even Verstappen that McLaren was catchable, but cracks were already showing in its attempt to keep up. In Spain, that finally created a pressure cooker.

What was supposed to be a weekend that rejuvenated Milton Keynes instead ended up being a self-inflicted knockout blow. Verstappen fell 49 points behind Piastri and is now just one penalty point away from a full race ban.

McLaren survives flexi-wing controversy

The Spanish GP was where the FIA implemented its harsher testing on the amount of flexibility permitted on front wings, and some speculated that could knock McLaren down a notch. But hopes of a significant change in the competitive balance left Red Bull disappointed, while it was business as usual at McLaren.

McLaren was adamant for weeks that the new testing on front-wing flexibility would have a minimal effect on its car performance. Perhaps team principal Andrea Stella and others should have been taken at their word, as the reigning constructors' champion led all three practice sessions, qualifying, and the race.

If anything, the flexi-wing clampdown in Barcelona - a track that typically reveals the truth of car performance - only confirmed that there's no magic trick that makes the MCL39 a far better car than the rest. It simply has better balance through corners and carries exceptional ability to control tire temperatures. McLaren's dominance is due to a superior technical team that has helped the car evolve by leaps and bounds since 2023.

The tide has turned in Formula 1, and Barcelona provided further confirmation. The noise from Red Bull has been muted. The drivers' championship will be exclusively fought in papaya. At the moment, Piastri, who claimed victory in Barcelona for his eighth consecutive podium this season, seems to have the slight edge. But Norris has never been too far behind.

Race Pace for McLaren

A bright spot for Fernando Alonso

The 43-year-old hasn't had much to smile about this year. He entered his home race as one of only four drivers yet to score a point. Even worse, he was the only non-rookie with no points.

But that changed in Spain.

It wasn't all pleasant for Alonso, who ended up in the gravel on Lap 14 and found himself 12th on the safety car restart on Lap 61. Another missed opportunity for points seemed to await. But he battled back like only he can. He turned back the clock on Gabriel Bortoleto with a sublime move in Turn 5 on Lap 64 for 11th and then got through Liam Lawson the following lap to get into the points.

The two-time champion was then promoted to ninth after Verstappen's penalty, balancing out his poor luck from earlier this season. The finish gave Aston Martin its first points since its Imola upgrade package.

Driver of the Day 🙌

Nico Hulkenberg: Lost in all the chaos was Hulkenberg delivering Sauber its best result since the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The German driver stormed to fifth after the safety car restart and even passed Lewis Hamilton, albeit with a minor tire advantage. Hulkenberg is up to 16 points this season, boosting Sauber from last to eighth in the constructors' standings.

They said what? 🗣️

Piastri on McLaren's dominant weekend: "We executed it pretty much perfectly. I couldn't ask for more."

Nico Rosberg on Verstappen's collision with Russell: "It looked like a very intentional retaliation. Wait for the opponent and then go ramming into him. ... That is something that is extremely unacceptable."

Russell on Verstappen's collision: "I've seen those sort of maneuvers before in simulator games and go-karting but never in Formula 1. Ultimately, we came home in P4 and he came home in P10, so I don't really know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment. It was a bit surprising."

Verstappen on whether his move on Russell was intentional: "Does it matter? I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment. ... I think we are way too slow anyway to fight for the title."

Lewis Hamilton on P6 finish: "It was a difficult day. There's nothing else to add to it. It was terrible."

What's next?

Following the European tripleheader, Formula 1 takes the next weekend off before picking back up June 15 (2 p.m. ET) for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen has dominated the Montreal circuit in recent years, capturing the last three races. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record with seven victories at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, though Hamilton hasn't won there since 2019.