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00:00And we've got five lights on ahead of the drivers, it's lights out and away we go, Norris gets a decent start, and also one of the Ferraris there, Charles Leclerc getting an excellent launch too.
00:11And now, on the run, down towards Turn 1, Verstappen's got the inside line, George Russell's coming to join the party, Lando Norris has to back it up, George Russell takes the lead of the race from Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
00:24There comes Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, there's Fernando Alonso going wide, Oscar Piastri round the outside of one of the LPs, but what a start for George Russell!
00:33George Russell is going to have a fight on his hands here. Might be our best opportunity now, Max, I think wisely.
00:40Or just go for it, and I think just go for it is what he's trying to do, Russell tries to break the tow, forcing Verstappen round the outside, Verstappen says thank you, I'll do just that!
00:49And Verstappen swoops past George Russell, and on lap 3, takes the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix!
00:55Let's look at the start, Verstappen pointing towards Norris.
00:58Yeah, Norris covered him there, trying to go across, but it was too late, Verstappen was already there, so Norris couldn't defend.
01:04Now watch George, he's picked up that little bit of a tow, then goes left, but it was super tight with Leclerc, he managed to just squeeze through.
01:11Leclerc had to check himself on the exit of turn 2 behind Norris, that dropped him behind Hamilton, Lewis has a wobble there, but in the end it settled down.
01:20Now watch this, Verstappen, crucially, there he dropped, he's alongside. At this point, Norris has to leave a car, he gave him a bit of a squeeze.
01:28Pushed off to the grass!
01:31Yeah, he gave him a bit of a squeeze, but in the end there, George with the momentum to get round.
01:36Unfortunately for Lando, it all started with the actual getaway.
01:40Yeah.
01:40He didn't get a good enough launch after that second phase of the start, as they call it, third or fourth gear.
01:47And now watch there, slipstream, slipstream, gone. Clear air, clean side, down in the lead.
01:52Opened up nicely for him, but behind the front two rows, Lewis Hamilton with two Ferraris, swapping places and switching around on the track.
02:01And this is Fernando Alonso starting on row 5, who's getting a slipstream behind Oscar Piastri.
02:08Now what happens to Fernando Alonso going into turn 1?
02:12Oh!
02:13Get tagged from behind.
02:15I saw that he went wide, he might well have been tagged, and that's why he lost a couple of places and ended up behind Sergio Perez.
02:22And this is the moment that George Russell's lead of the Spanish Grand Prix disappeared.
02:27By the time he tried to cover off the inside line, Verstappen had guessed which way he was going and was swooping around the outside.
02:34And the two Ferraris, mention having a good scrap here, Sainz and Leclerc.
02:38This is Sainz going around the outside of Charles Leclerc, and yeah, they did touch.
02:42Sainz then had to go onto the runoff, but as long as he comes back the right way to the left of the bollard, that should be okay.
02:49And let's have a look again, that's where they were running.
02:52And the stewards are having a look at this.
02:55No further investigation, they've said, for losing the track and gaining an advantage.
02:59This is Valtteri Bottas.
03:02So it's the overtake on the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
03:06He's got DRS, he's picking up a slipstream, that was very easy.
03:10And now we can go back and have a look at Fernando Alonso, who's not enjoying the happiest of Spanish Grand Prixs,
03:16as he heads off into the gravel there in what is his 21st race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
03:22You don't want to be going there too often.
03:24He's having a pretty miserable time so far, isn't he?
03:28That's how much they're managing the tyres currently.
03:32And they're into the first corner, goes Sergio Perez on Nico Hülkenberg, who's now into the pits himself.
03:39Did he answer your question on...
03:43Oh, he did.
03:45Russell's in.
03:46So George Russell's in, Landon Isis-Freed.
03:48And Russell slams on the brakes at the latest possible opportunity to gain the most amount of time,
03:53or not waste as much time as he can, when he has this pit step.
03:57Neat and tidy, medium tyres going on, Sainz...
04:00Oh, I say neat and tidy, but at the rear, there was a little bit of a problem.
04:04And Carlos Sainz, who came in after his pit stop, which was three seconds quicker,
04:09almost ahead of George Russell.
04:11And now, at 80km an hour, they can head down the pit lane before they can start to get going again.
04:17And that nearly cost George Russell there, and it still might cost him going into Turn 1.
04:22No, Sainz can't make the move.
04:23Lando, it's possible we could cover Russell this lap.
04:25What do you think?
04:27No.
04:28I think we need to go good, Max.
04:32That's where he's headed now.
04:33Hamilton, though, really putting the pressure on the Ferrari down the straight.
04:37Couldn't quite make the overtake, but this is going to be a bit tasty going through Turn 3.
04:41Hamilton almost touches the rear left tyre.
04:44Oh, Carlos Sainz has to back out a little bit, but he is still keeping his foot down
04:50and still trying to muscle past the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
04:53But Hamilton's got that speed advantage with the DRS.
04:56Sainz tries to force Hamilton down to the inside.
04:59He does force Hamilton down to the inside.
05:01Hamilton squeezes through. Sainz goes onto the kerb.
05:04Hamilton's made that move.
05:06It wasn't without contact, but he's up in the 6th place.
05:09So, Norris and Leclerc and Piastri, they're extending this first stint.
05:14The chasing pack last round.
05:17George Russell at 19.5, Norris at 20.4.
05:20If you look at his replay here.
05:21So, Norris up at the front, but let's look.
05:24Hamilton down the inside.
05:27Squeeze, squeeze.
05:28Good racing room there.
05:29Gave each other fair space.
05:30Didn't force Sainz to go across that run-off area.
05:38Stop it.
05:40I don't like that.
05:42I hope not.
05:45I think it's hard.
05:47He gave him just about room.
05:49There's no way for Lewis to go, right?
05:51There's an inside kerb there.
05:52I can be wrong.
05:54Now he's noted and reported to race control.
05:57They are looking into it.
06:00Yes, not with the stewards as of yet,
06:02but it has been reported by race control.
06:04This is Max Verstappen on Oscar Piastri.
06:07Piastri hasn't pitted yet.
06:09Verstappen has.
06:10Pretty easy move that one.
06:11Verstappen up into third place.
06:13Right.
06:14This is Oscar Piastri a little earlier behind the Haas.
06:18Nico Hülkenberg.
06:21And another spot to make the overtake.
06:23You know, that's the sort of calculation they're trying to do
06:26is a net gain across the strategy.
06:30Rogan Sargent goes a little wider than he would have wanted.
06:33Alex Albon says thank you very much.
06:35And that's a 19th place for him.
06:37As two teammates swap positions.
06:39And that's Joe Glanyew getting past Valtteri Bottas.
06:42Much closer as they swing round.
06:45Why are we on plant A?
06:47We're in line with everyone else.
06:49That was the choice.
06:52And Charles Leclerc is questioning just what is happening to his strategy.
06:56Today is Lando Norris swoops past the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz
07:00and up into fourth place.
07:02Charles Leclerc meanwhile.
07:04A 1.19.3 on that last lap.
07:06It was a 1.19.8 for Norris.
07:08Leclerc is now past Gasly and up into sixth.
07:11They haven't been able to challenge against Verstappen
07:14as we get a replay here.
07:16Piastri with that DRS.
07:18The extra 11 mile an hour down into turn one.
07:22Candy from a baby there.
07:24DRS down the main straight.
07:26Mercedes works as a team as we see Oscar Piastri getting past Esteban Ochoa.
07:30Mercedes could really help their chances in this race
07:33with a little bit of teamwork there
07:35and very much for straight what Norris is trying to do.
07:38And we can see once more.
07:40And hear once more that headwind down that main straight
07:43as Lando Norris makes the move into turn one.
07:46Yeah, so he was three tenths behind and it was quite easy.
07:49So even at four tenths then you're diving on the brakes
07:52as Perez is probably going to try and do here
07:54around the outside of turn one.
07:57Anything's possible.
07:58Here comes Lando Norris on George Russell.
08:00Russell once again wants the McLaren to go around the outside.
08:03Here's Lando Norris playing that patient, calm, waiting game
08:07and going around the outside at turn three to take second place.
08:11Yes, he is.
08:12And George Russell did his best to defend there
08:15but Norris knew exactly what he was up to and where he was going.
08:18Russell will try and fight this and keep fighting this
08:21and does a very nice job around the outside at turn four
08:24to take that second place back again.
08:27But now through turn five and rolling down the hill
08:30Norris has the inside line.
08:32And can this be a position change?
08:34Number three. Yes, it can.
08:36Second place is Lando Norris's.
08:38And wow, getting wobbly on the power.
08:41Let's talk through this here, Kofi.
08:43So Russell went a bit deep.
08:45Norris did the switchback.
08:46Great bit of fair racing around turns two and three.
08:51Caught in front here.
08:52And then Russell's like, hmm, I'm not done yet.
08:55Let's have a throw around the outside.
08:57And actually, I thought Lando was quite generous with him there on the way in.
09:01It could have just been a bit firmer.
09:04And then when we get down to five, does the switchback.
09:07George smart.
09:09Tried to use a tighter line, George.
09:11Didn't use all the width.
09:12Squeezed Lando a little bit on the inside.
09:14But ultimately into turn seven, the move was done and dusted.
09:17This tyre does not feel good.
09:19Sliding already.
09:21That's good info for the other drivers and teams, isn't it?
09:24That the hard tyre isn't quite working.
09:27Verstappen has pitted.
09:28This is our chance now.
09:31So, Lando Norris stops now.
09:34They get to work.
09:35Off go the medium compound tyre.
09:37Off goes the soft tyre.
09:39That looks a bit slow.
09:403.6 seconds is not going to help get ahead of Russell or Hamilton.
09:44Through goes Max Verstappen.
09:46Into the lead.
09:47Down the main straights come the Mercedes.
09:50Lando Norris is in second place.
09:53But George Russell is gaining on him.
09:55Gaining on him.
09:56It's super tight.
09:57Lando Norris just stays ahead of George Russell.
10:00That could be key for the end of this race.
10:03Because he's not now got the Mercedes to try and overtake.
10:07To get back near Max Verstappen once again.
10:10He has done it by about a car length.
10:13Despite the slow pitstop.
10:14And that DRS, as we said, worth 18 kilometers an hour.
10:17Once again, George Russell forces an opponent to go around the outside.
10:21And by the time he tried to react to it.
10:23Lewis Hamilton had danced around the outside.
10:25And is now dancing off into the distance.
10:27And that was nicely worked out.
10:29Third place for Lewis Hamilton.
10:31They've been a cut above everybody else in this race.
10:34In fact.
10:35Oh, that's Alex Albon going off onto the gravel there.
10:39As he was chasing with Yuki Tsunoda.
10:42Manages to keep the car going.
10:45Keep it straight.
10:46And get back out to the track.
10:47What the hell was that?
10:48I don't know.
10:50No, it's not OK.
10:52Don't just say that.
10:56As basically a driver saying.
10:58What happened to my car there?
10:59That was odd.
11:00It shouldn't have happened.
11:01Don't give me the automatic response.
11:04Which you can kind of understand.
11:06Given the speed he would have been going at.
11:08As the gravel track got ever near.
11:09In 2022 Max Verstappen took over the lead.
11:12Of the Drivers' Championship.
11:13He has not relinquished that lead since.
11:16And for the third year running.
11:18In Barcelona.
11:19It is Max Verstappen.
11:21Who wins the Spanish Grand Prix.
11:24Lando Norris.
11:25Started on pole.
11:27Is second for him.
11:28And second in the championship too.
11:31It's not quite the result he wanted.
11:33But.
11:34It's a significant movement forward.
11:36For McLaren.
11:37Lewis Hamilton.
11:38Will come home now.
11:40To take third place.
11:41And his first podium of the season.
11:43His teammate George Russell.
11:46Congratulations mate.
11:48That was hard work.
11:50But yeah.
11:51You made that race for yourself.
11:52I think down to turn one.
11:54And the overtake on Brussels.
11:55Two laps later.
11:56Nice job.
11:57Yes.
11:58Nice.
11:59Yeah.
12:00We are definitely not the quickest out there today.
12:03But we did everything by our strategy.
12:05So.
12:06Yes.
12:07Well done Max.
12:08That was a brilliantly executed race.
12:10You made it count at the beginning.
12:12With George making that move.
12:14And yeah.
12:15Really well executed race.
12:16Well done.
12:17Lando will probably rue his getaway.
12:20When he tried to fight back.
12:22P2 as you know.
12:24Fastest lap.
12:26It doesn't matter really does it.
12:28Should have won.
12:29At the start.
12:31That was amazing.
12:32Well done.
12:33Deserve more.
12:36Kitchener Lewis.
12:37That's P3 bud.
12:39That was a real great drive mate.
12:41Great job guys.
12:43Mega.
12:44What a great surprise to come here and get these points.
12:47We're making improvements.
12:49Let's keep pushing.
12:50We're nearly there.
12:51Lewis that was quite some moves.
12:53Well done.
12:54Great to watch.
12:55Thanks guys.
13:43See you next time.
13:44Bye.
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