How Piastri and McLaren shook off Verstappen's three-stop gambit at the Spanish GP
Knowing McLaren had a clear pace advantage with its cars starting 1-2 in Barcelona, Red Bull opted for a different strategy on its leading car of Verstappen in third and although this was initially a genuine threat to Piastri and Norris' victory bids, the Papaya squad eventually came out on top
As any good bank robber would suggest, it's all in the getaway; Oscar Piastri might have been a handy wheelman had he fallen into the depths of organised crime, rather than the marginally less murky world of motor racing. Indeed, it was Piastri's two getaways that ensured he converted pole into the lead, and subsequently in preserving it on the lap 61 restart following a late safety car.
Sounds simple - but in reality, it wasn't; Red Bull's decision to roll the dice on a three-stop strategy might have paid off had Max Verstappen's pace proven a little bit more manageable over his shorter stints. Instead, McLaren crucially held its nerve in a strategic battle of wits and had ensured it could convert the two-stop - largely thanks to its retention of track position and subsequent reaction to Verstappen's last stop.
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