As predicted, the Spanish GP confirmed McLaren’s clear advantage over its pursuers. Race pace analysis shows Max Verstappen as the fastest on track, but on a completely different strategy.
The Grand Prix only came to life in the final stages, with the safety car brought out due to a problem with Antonelli’s car. Up until that point, the race had been fairly straightforward and uneventful. The two McLarens dominated without trouble: only Verstappen tried to challenge them, but the RB21 was never able to match the pace of Piastri and Norris. Unable to attack, Verstappen attempted an alternative four-stop strategy. It didn’t pay off: it could still have secured him third place, had the safety car not come out.
Behind a Red Bull still holding second place in the pecking order, Ferrari continues to struggle. Leclerc grabbed a podium thanks to the safety car; without it, he would have finished fourth. A decent result, but still too far from the front. Hamilton, clearly in crisis, was overtaken at the end by Hülkenberg’s Sauber.
The race pace chart rewards Verstappen as the fastest: the extra stop gave him a performance edge, but when the safety car was deployed, he had no fresh tyres left. This forced him onto hards, unlike the other teams who were able to switch to softs. The performance gap cost him a position to Leclerc, and the subsequent battle with Russell – which ended in contact – earned him a 10-second penalty, leaving Spain with just one point.
Aside from Verstappen, who was on a different strategy, it was Oscar Piastri who set the fastest race pace. Norris followed with an almost identical rhythm to his teammate, just under half a tenth slower per lap.
Next was Charles Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton was nearly three-tenths slower per lap than his teammate. Hülkenberg’s performance deserves mention: tenth in average race pace, yet able to maximise every opportunity and finish fifth.
The conclusion is clear: McLaren has an extraordinary car package, and both world titles are well within reach. Our analysis confirms a dynamically perfect car that is unreachable for its rivals. The absence of body roll in corners guarantees an ideal platform balance, always staying perfectly parallel to the asphalt. But there are many other qualities that make it so superior, which we have yet to uncover.
Ferrari is still chasing: in Spain, they seemed off the pace and Leclerc’s final stint on softs was especially tough. Hamilton, on the other hand, looked visibly disappointed.
The weekend of the new flexible wing directive didn’t change the competitive order. If no one manages to solve their car’s issues, this championship will be a long and triumphant march for McLaren.
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