Spanish Grand Prix race report:
That’s all from me, thanks for reading and for all your emails. I’ll leave you with Paul Weaver’s report on that dramatic lap-one crash which wiped out both Mercedes and paved the way for Max Verstappen’s historic victory:
The decision by Red Bull to swap Verstappen with Kvyat coming into this grand prix has been emphatically vindicated, it’s fair to say. “It feels amazing, I can’t believe it,” he says. “It was a great race. I have to say thank you to the team for giving me a great car. To win in my first race, amazing.”
Max Verstappen stands on top of the podium and grins, flanked by Ferrari drivers and former world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
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An incredible achievement by Verstappen who gets a congratulatory handshake from Fernando Alonso as he jumps out of his car. He piles straight into the Red Bull team for celebrations. Verstappen is not only the youngest winner of an F1 race but is also the first Dutchman to win a grand prix. He’s 18. 18!
JOS VERSTAPPEN: "[My son] is only 18 and the way he raced was unbelievable. I can't believe it" #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/F85owLF1Xu
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 15, 2016
Top 10
1 Verstappen (Red Bull)
2 Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3 Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Ricciardo (Red Bull)
5 Bottas (Williams)
6 Sainz (Toro Rosso)
7 Perez (Force India)
8 Massa (Williams)
9 Button (McLaren)
10 Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
Christian Horner on radio to Verstappen: “You are amazing. What a debut. Great job.”
Max Verstappen wins the Spanish Grand Prix!
The 18-year-old, on his Red Bull debut, punches the air as he passes the chequered flag. The youngest ever F1 grand prix winner. Wow.
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Lap 66/66: Ricciardo pulls into the pits and will be able to finish, but his podium hopes are over.
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Lap 65/66: Ricciardo has a puncture! His rear left is gone and he’s out.
Lap 65/66: Verstappen has increased his lead to more than a second. He is actually going to do this.
Lap 64/66: Ricciardo again tries to lunge at Turn 1 but he is just too far away to make it happen. I’m sure the demoted Daniil Kvyat is delighted right now:
Great move by @Dany_Kvyat to get back into the points, P10 - a big applause in the garage. Carlos, P6! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/6oXAMNEcYW
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) May 15, 2016
Lap 63/66: Ricciardo is getting caught amongst the backmarkers. He wades through them but that has given Vettel the chance to move a little clear and tighten his grip on P3. Verstappen remains 0.7 secs ahead of Raikkonen. What an incredible race by the 18-year-old.
Lap 62/66: Ricciardo continues to sniff around Vettel’s Ferrari for a podium place, but surely it is too late for either of these two to win this race. The two-stop strategy of Verstappen and Raikkonen has proved the right one. “Mercedes should crash out more,” suggests Vinh Nguyen. “This has been the best race in ages!”
Here is Paul Weaver’s report from the Circuit de Catalunya on that dramatic crash between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg on lap one:
Lap 61/66: “What are we doing here, racing or ping pong?” shouts Vettel on radio after Ricciardo’s bold move. I don’t get it.
Lap 60/66: Ricciardo attacks Vettel! He dives down the inside at Turn 1 to make the pass but brakes so late that he can’t stay on the track, and the Ferrari reclaims P3 immediately. Just for a moment they were side by side and it took some brilliant skill from both to avoid contact.
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Lap 59/66: There is the potential for an incredible finish here: Ricciardo is right on Vettel’s rear wing and the duo have closed the gap to Raikkonen, no only 5 secs up the road. Verstappen remains P1, around half a second clear.
Lap 57/66: For the first time since Verstappen took the lead in the race, Raikkonen has moved to within half a second of the teenager. Meanwhile Ricciardo uses DRS to close in on Vettel. He has a little peek down the inside but Vettel shuts the door.
Lap 56/66: Just eight seconds split the leading quartet right now. When was the last time we had a foursome this close coming to the end of the race?
Top four
1 Verstappen (Red Bull)
2 Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3 Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Ricciardo (Red Bull)
Lap 55/66: Button on team radio, talking about the back-marker Haryanto in front of him: “Get him out the way. I know he thinks he’s quick but he’s not.”
Lap 53/66: DRS is Raikkonen’s friend right now. He closes the gap to race-leader Verstappen to within 0.7 secs. It feels like a child’s life-long dream being slowly destroyed in front of his eyes by a man with absolutely no emotion.
Lap 51/66: Max Verstappen continues to lead the Spanish Grand Prix, but his mirrors are now filled with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel has fallen away from these two a little, now 8 secs back. Assuming neither of them need to stop again, this will be a two-horse race for the Spanish Grand Prix.
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Lap 49/66: Raikkonen has closed the gap on Verstappen and he is within 1 sec – and in the DRS zone. They hit the home straight and the Fin pops the back wing open and homes in on the rear of the Red Bull, closing the gap further still.
Lap 48/66: Fernando Alonso’s race is over. He pulls over at Turn 7 and stops on the grass, bringing out yellow flags in sector 1. The home favourite becomes the fourth driver to retire from the race after Hamilton, Rosberg, and Hulkenberg.
Lap 46/66: Raikkonen is 1.4 secs from Verstappen’s Red Bull leading this Spanish Grand Prix. What an incredible Red Bull debut from the teenager.
Lewis Hamilton made an aggressive move but Nico Rosberg didn't give him space. Both to blame. #SpanishGP @LawrenceOstlere
— Eisha (@curiouseisha) May 15, 2016
Lap 45/66: Ricciardo does indeed return in fourth. Meanwhile the Saubers almost collide as Ericsson seemed to attack and then pull out of his move on Nasr.
Top six
1 Verstappen (Red Bull)
2 Raikkonen (Ferrari)
3 Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Ricciardo (Red Bull)
5 Bottas (Williams)
6 Sainz (Toro Rosso)
Lap 43/66: The leader Daniel Ricciardo comes in. Where will he come back out? Verstappen leads.
@LawrenceOstlere Russian GP was my best example. Lewis delay in put his helm off when his doesn't finish FIRST. His temper betrays him aye
— mario lutz (@marol2009) May 15, 2016
The situation with 25 laps to go
In brief, Ricciardo leads but needs to pit shortly and is likely to return in P4 when he does so. Verstappen (P2) leads Raikkonen (P3) and Vettel (P4). Vettel is flying because his tyres are fresher, but all three are attempting to go to the end on their current set of medium compounds. Degradation in the final few laps could yet play a key role but right now Max Verstappen, on his Red Bull debut, is positioned perfectly.
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Lap 41/66: Ignore that last post, because Ricciardo isn’t coming in just yet. Vettel meanwhile is tearing round Circuit de Catalunya, setting a new fastest lap in the process. Louise Rainbird on those Mercedes lap-one handbags: “Hamilton was too close to Rosberg, so the crash is his fault. Hamilton should have gone around the outside of his teammate, not the inside.”
Lap 39/66: Vettel comes in for his third and final stop. This is going to be crucial: can Ricciardo get round, pit, and get back out in front of the German?
Lap 38/66: Grosjean locks up at Turn 7 and he’s in the gravel. He manages to pull the car back on to the track but that has sent him back to P13. “We think Rosberg is to blame even though Hamilton might have been over eager,” say Leslie and Anders Eriksson in a joint-email. Nice touch. “Rosberg, as a team colleague, should not have pushed out Hamilton. Karma is a bitch!!”
Lap 36/66: Raikkonen immediately responds to Verstappen’s stop with one of his own. It’s a smooth stop but he returns behind the 18-year-old.
Lap 35/66: Contact between the two Haas cars, Gutierrez nudging Grosjean as he passes his team-mate on the inside but it’s minimal and both stay on the track. The race leader, Verstappen, comes in and he puts on another set of mediums. It looks like he is going to go to the end of the race on these tyres, or attempt to. He returns in P4.
Lap 34/66: Verstappen leads Raikkonen by 2.1secs. The longer these two stay out the more likely it is they are trying a two-stop strategy, in contrast to their team-mates. Michael Trampert is sitting on the fence regarding that lap-one crash: “Are u serious to ask that question?? Niki Lauda has already been answering that in a crisp & clear way: Lewis!! Far too aggressive, he just couldn´t accept the overtaking by Rosberg and immediately, i.e. too early, too aggressive, tried to hit back. For Mercedes, exactly as Lauda put it, simply not acceptable. How often has Lewis overtaken Rosberg last season and how often Rosberg hit back like that then...? Zero. That’s the difference between a far more mature guy like Nico and that ‘Im simply the best around’-Lewis.”
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff speaks: “Niki has the driver’s reaction and the instinct. From a team’s perspective and we have looked at all the pictures and it is not clear cut. Lewis tried to dive in, Nico closed the door. I would say wait to see what the stewards say.”
Lap 31/66: Just 18, an F1 driver, and he’s leading the Spanish Grand Prix. It’s good to be Max Verstappen.
Lap 30/66: Vettel comes in. Ferrari’s pit stop is a touch delayed and he has lost almost a second. He returns in P4 ahead of Bottas but seems to have lost some time to Ricciardo, and that is a blow for the German.
“I just want to say,” begins Grant Howell on email, “what was Hamilton doing down there in the first place, he was no where near the racing line.”
Lap 28/66: Yellow flags are put back in their holsters and we are back racing. As we approach the halfway point it is Red Bull leading the way from Ferrari. The race leader Ricciardo is making a surprising move, coming in for soft tyres which suggests he is on a three-stop strategy. This could be decisive in this race: does Verstappen have the same plan?
Lap 26/66: Those on three-stop strategies take the chance to pit: Ericsson comes in and so too does Romain Grosjean. Vettel has closed the gap to the leaders and only 2 secs now splits the front three.
Top six
1 Ricciardo (Red Bull)
2 Verstappen (Red Bull)
3 Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Bottas (Williams)
6 Sainz (Toro Rosso)
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Lap 25/66: Yellow flags still out in sector three. Your thoughts on Hamilton-Rosberg? Who was to blame? Will Red Bull or Ferrari be on top of the podium? What would you give to be in sunny Barcelona right now? Let me know: tweet @LawrenceOstlere or email lawrence.ostlere@theguardian.com.
Lap 24/66: Yellow flags are out after the end of Hulkenberg’s race.
Lap 23/66: Sorry, that was a little over-dramatic. It was only a small fire at the back, but it has ended his race. “Pull over by a fire marshall,” Hulkenberg is told over team radio. He does exactly that, taking an extinguisher himself and putting out the flames.
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Lap 22/66: Hulkenberg’s car is on fire.
Lap 20/66: Vettel (P3) sets the fastest lap of the race to cut the gap to the race-leader Ricciardo to within 3secs. The dramatic exit of Mercedes on the opening lap has setup a fascinating battle between Red Bulls and Ferrari in Spain.
Lap 19/66: Massa is quietly sneaking through the pack. He’s into the points positions in P10 having started 18th, and the Williams driver has both McLarens in his sights.
Lap 18/66: The McLarens are in an interesting battle with each other in 8th and 9th, Alonso right on the back wing of Jenson Button. A great opportunity for both to score points this afternoon.
Lap 16/66: Vettel, briefly the race leader, comes in to the pits. He returns in third behind Ricciardo and Verstappen. All three are on the medium compound tyres. It looks like just about everyone is going for a three-stop strategy in Barcelona.
FASTEST SECTORS: Williams drivers on the charge after jaw-dropping start to the #SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/C0a5K5U6BO
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 15, 2016
Lap 14/66: Ricciardo is being held up behind Romain Grosjean who has managed to climb from P14 on the grid to P3, although the Haas driver is yet to pit. The camera cuts to some glum Mercedes faces, Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe among them. Hamilton and Rosberg probably have glum faces, but neither have taken their helmets off yet.
Lap 13/66: Daniel Ricciardo pits smoothly, leaving Max Verstappen to lead the race for a lap at least. How about this: he is the first Dutchman ever to lead a Formula One grand prix. It doesn’t last long as Verstappen comes in for the medium tyres.
Mercedes’ Niki Lauda is a bit miffed: “Lewis was too aggressive. For both to be out after two corners is completely unacceptable.”
Lap 12/66: Sainz (P4) and Button (P15) pit, and both return on the medium tyre.
Lap 11/66: Raikkonen this time takes Sainz down into Turn 1. Sainz has essentially got an afternoon of sitting in the middle-lane of the motorway holding everyone up, in an effort to finish as high as possible. Next to attack him is the Williams of Bottas.
Lap 10/66: Raikkonen tries to copy Vettel’s move on Sainz but misjudges the overtake and runs off the track. The Fin hands back the place and will have to try again.
Lap 8/66: Vertsappen, by the way, would be the youngest ever winner of an F1 grand prix should he get by his team-mate Ricciardo. His concern right now though will be the threat of Sebastian Vettel, who has finally got past Sainz with an aggressive move at Turn 1 and is up to P3.
HEAD IN HANDS
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 15, 2016
A distraught Hamilton can't hide his heartbreak after first lap drama with Rosberg#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/eZoHK0sWLE
Lap 6/66: The focus right now is on the battle for third, where a brave Toro Rosso is attempting to hold off two hungry Ferraris. Vettel is all over the back of Sainz but the young driver is defending well.
Top six
1 Ricciardo (Red Bull)
2 Verstappen (Red Bull)
3 Sainz (Toro Rosso)
4 Vettel (Ferrari)
5 Raikkonen (Ferrari)
6 Bottas (Williams)
Lap 4/66: The question will of course be: who was at fault? Alain Prost on punditry says this kind of collision between the pair was inevitable at some stage, and doesn’t point the finger at either driver. Rosberg did squeeze Hamilton by sliding across to the right which he is entitled to do, leaving Hamilton nowhere to go but the grass. Green flags, and the safety car is heading in.
Lap 2/66: The safety car is out. Both Mercedes drivers are OK and Rosberg is given a lift back to the pitlane as Hamilton dusts himself down. No other drivers were involved in the incident and all seem to be running well. Ricciardo leads from Verstappen and somehow Sainz has climbed from P8 to P3.
Rosberg immediately attacked down the outside of Turn 1 and swept around the back of Hamilton to grab the lead. He seemed to pull clear of his team-mate but using his momentum from Turn 3 Hamilton tried to hit back and was forced wide, taking to the grass and losing control. His back end flipped round and slid back on to the track, smashing Rosberg on to the gravel and ending both of their races. Wow.
Lights out! Hamilton and Rosberg crash out!
Hamilton wipes out Rosberg and they’re both out!!
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Every driver will start using the soft tyres except for Manor’s Rio Haryanto at the back of the grid starting on mediums. The formation lap is under way...
The grid
1 Hamilton (Mercedes) 2 Rosberg (Mercedes)
3 Ricciardo (Red Bull) 4 Verstappen (Red Bull)
5 Raikkonen (Ferrari) 6 Vettel (Ferrari)
7 Bottas (Williams) 8 Sainz (Toro Rosso)
9 Perez (Force India) 10 Alonso (McLaren)
11 Hulkenberg (Force India) 12 Button (McLaren)
13 Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 14 Grosjean (Haas)
15 Magnussen (Renault) 16 Gutierrez (Haas)
17 Palmer (Renault) 18 Massa (Williams)
19 Ericsson (Sauber) 20 Nasr (Sauber)
21 Wehrlein (Manor) 22 Haryanto (Manor)
We are nearing lights out in Barcelona – just time for that Kvyat-Vettel crash at the Russian Grand Prix, complete with the German’s brilliant rant at the end:
After another awkward chat in which Coulthard asked a nonplussed Max Verstappen for tips on how to stay cool under pressure, some insight! And it comes from Red Bull bigwig Christian Horner: “They [Ricciardo and Verstappen] did such a wonderful job in qualifying, I’m just hoping they have a good run down into Turn 1. It’s going to be right on the cusp of a two- and three-stop. The guys ahead [Mercedes] are going to be having their own race but the Ferraris are going to be right with us.”
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David Coulthard is on the grid walk. He’s talking about dry ice. I’ve zoned out. No wait, now he’s chatting to Daniel Ricciardo – an excruciating exchange which ends in prolonged awkward silence. Martin Brundle really sets the grid walk standard.
A penny for Daniil Kvyat’s thoughts right now. After his pretty disastrous home grand prix, where he shunted Sebastian Vettel twice on the opening corner to end Vettel’s race and provoke an expletive-laden rant from the German, Red Bull decided to pull him out of the spotlight demoting Kvyat to their sister team, Toro Rosso. In his place is Max Verstappen, the brilliant 18-year-old already justifying the move with a second-row finish in qualifying – nine spots ahead of Kvyat.
If you missed Saturday qualifying, here is Paul Weaver’s report from the Circuit de Catalunya and Hamilton’s blistering pole lap:
Preamble
At a circuit where overtaking is famously difficult, in a Grand Prix which so often acts as a barometer for the season as a whole, Lewis Hamilton could not have timed his return to pole better.
After only four races, Nico Rosberg is 43 points ahead of his Mercedes team-mate. Cutting that gap may not be deemed essential just yet by Hamilton’s side of the garage, but halting the German’s momentum cannot wait. Rosberg has won all of the past seven races going back to the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix and appears untouchable right now.
In Spain, Hamilton must avoid the problems off the start which scuppered his races in China and Russia. Circuit de Catalunya is not a particularly happy hunting ground for Hamilton – his 2014 victory is an anomaly amongst mistakes and misfortune – but today he must make his pole position count. There may be 17 races left but Hamilton cannot afford to wait any longer.
Lights out: 1pm BST.
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