Oscar Piastri wins Spanish GP as Max Verstappen pays penalty for late collision


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Oscar Piastri extended his lead in the Formula One title race after winning the Spanish Grand Prix in style ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris on Sunday.

The Australian, who started in pole position, produced a flawless performance at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, taking the chequered flag with Norris second and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third.

It was the third McLaren one-two of the season and the team’s seventh win in nine races, with Piastri taking five of those victories.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen was demoted from fifth to 10th place after being given a 10-second penalty for colliding with fourth-place finisher George Russell of Mercedes late on.

“The overall pace was really good and we could turn it on when we needed to and just very proud of the work we’ve done this weekend,” said Piastri, who extended his lead over Norris in the drivers' championship from three to 10 points.

“It wasn’t the best first practice and then we got our stuff together, it’s a nice way to bounce back from Monaco, it’s been a superb weekend.

“[It] has been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for, we executed everything we needed to when it counted and that’s all we could ask for.

“The team gave me a great car once again, it’s a lot of fun winning races at the moment and I’ve been enjoying it and I hope the team are too.”

Norris admitted his teammate “drove a very good race” with the Briton having started and finished in second, despite being overtaken by Verstappen at the start.

“I didn't quite have the pace to match [Piastri]. We gave it our best shot. It's a long race, anything could have happened at the end of the race.

“We both got pretty sideways with the safety car restart. It was a good, fun race and for us as a team to finish one-two is even better.”

There was controversy late on, though, after Leclerc fought his way past Verstappen following a late safety car restart to seal his spot on the podium.

“Max [Verstappen] wanted to bring me towards the inside where there was all the rubber, so I didn't want to go there,” added Leclerc. “I was trying to push him to the left, there was a little bit of contact. Fortunately, for us there were no consequences.”

However, Verstappen accused Leclerc of driving into him as the two made slight contact on the straight and then fell off the road as he attempted to defend from Russell.

Verstappen was advised to give the position to Russell to avoid a penalty, and while he seemed set to let the Briton through, he then appeared to drive into the Mercedes.

Russell crossed the line in fourth, with Verstappen fifth. However, Verstappen was hit with a 10-second penalty by the stewards, dropping him to 10th which leaves him 49 points behind Piastri in the standings.

Russell said he believed the collision with Verstappen “felt deliberate in the moment” but said the final decision was down to the stewards.

“I mean I was as surprised as you guys were. I've seen the manoeuvres before on simulator games and go karting but never in F1,” said the Briton.

“Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him it's a shame that something like that continues to occur, seems totally unnecessary and never seems to benefit himself.”

Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg finished a surprising and morale-boosting fifth for the future Audi team after passing Ferrari's seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap.

Hamilton was a disappointing sixth, Isack Hadjar seventh for Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly eighth for Renault-owned Alpine.

Home hero Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season with Aston Martin, who had only one car on the grid due to Lance Stroll's withdrawal through injury after Saturday's qualifying.

Get Out

Director: Jordan Peele

Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford

Four stars

MATCH INFO

World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

While you're here
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

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Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

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PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

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Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

If you go

The flights

The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings

The stay

Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.

 

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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Dubai Rugby Sevens

November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai

Gulf Under 19

Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy

Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2

Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina

Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School

Updated: June 01, 2025, 4:12 PM