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Verstappen wins Spanish GP as Leclerc retires

Montmeló, Spain, May 22 (EFE).- Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday after Ferrari’s world championship pacesetter Charles Leclerc, who had been coasting at the front of the race after starting on pole, had to retire with engine trouble.

The victory for the reigning world champion secured a 1-2 finish for Red Bull as Sergio Perez came in second, although the Dutchman benefited from team orders to pass his Mexican teammate.

On an eventful afternoon, Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz spun off track early in the race at turn four with nobody near him, with Verstappen making the same mistake shortly after, although both recovered admirably.

Sainz finished in fourth place, sandwiched between the two Mercedes of George Russell – who further enhanced his growing reputation with another exemplary performance – and Lewis Hamilton, who overcame more bad luck after colliding with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas on lap 1 to surge through the field and finish in sixth.

It was an overall positive showing for Mercedes, who seem to have fixed the technical issues they had been struggling with during the opening races of the season.

The comeback of the day went to Fernando Alonso, who started the grand prix in last but managed to finish in ninth place.

Verstappen’s win sees him leapfrog Leclerc at the front of the world championship standings, with the Dutchman six points ahead of the Monegasque’s 104 points.

In the constructor’s championship, the one-two finish means Red Bull lead Ferrari by 26 points, while Mercedes are third on 120 points. EFE

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