F1 2023: Verstappen takes Spanish GP Grand Slam ahead of Mercedes 2-3

The eighth round of the 2023 Formula One season came from the 4.657 km long Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix. For this year, F1 had made some changes to the track, i.e. removing the final chicane that was first introduced in 2007 leaving drivers with two fast corners.
Pole sitter Max Verstappen managed to keep P1 at start, despite pressure from homeboy Carlos Sainz around Turn 1. Behind the two, Hamilton and Norris made some contact, which ended costing the McLaren man his front wing. Norris had to make a pit stop on Lap 2 to get a new front wing, dropping him to the back of the grid.

The entire Grand Prix was filled with overtakes, but no retirements, no yellow flags and no safety car. Reigning Champion Max Verstappen yet again simply cruised way ahead of everyone else on the grid, in a league of his own. However, the Dutch driver was warned twice for exceeding track limits on Turn 5. Later on in the race, Verstappen was shown the Black and White flag for exceeding track limits around Turn 10.
Here are all the point scorers at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix –
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
10. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
Verstappen ended up cruising to his third consecutive victory with a lead of 24 seconds, securing a Grand Slam win after taking the pole position, leading every lap and also taking home the fastest lap. The Red Bull driver was followed by Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in P2 and P3 respectively.
The two podium finishes at Spanish GP helped Mercedes (152) overtake Aston Martin (134) in the Constructor’s standings. Meanwhile Red Bull further stretched its lead, having won all Grand Prix races of this season so far. Verstappen’s teammate Checo Perez managed to secure the fourth position.
Despite starting from P2 in his home race, Carlos Sainz could only finish in P5, ahead of Aston Martin teammates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in P6 and P7 respectively. Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu were the remaining three point scorers at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.