Australian driver Oscar Piastri (McLaren) took a major step toward the Formula 1 world championship by winning the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, the ninth round of the season, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Piastri delivered a flawless performance and capitalized on Max Verstappen’s (Red Bull) struggles, as the Dutchman finished in tenth place after receiving a penalty.

Piastri, 24, started from pole position and maintained a dominant pace throughout the race, securing his seventh Formula 1 victory and his fifth win of the season. The podium was completed by his teammate, British driver Lando Norris, and Monaco Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who crossed the line in third place.

George Russell (Mercedes) finished fourth, followed by German driver Nico Hülkenberg, who achieved his best result of the year for Kick Sauber.

Meanwhile, the Spanish drivers had a bittersweet day: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) scored his first points of the championship by finishing ninth, while Carlos Sainz (Williams) could only manage fourteenth. Argentine driver Franco Colapinto (Alpine) came in fifteenth.

Verstappen on the Decline

Max Verstappen, the reigning three-time world champion, had a race to forget. After a chaotic race, the Dutchman received a ten-second penalty for unsportsmanlike maneuvers in the final laps, which dropped him from fifth to tenth place further jeopardizing his title hopes.

With this result, Piastri extends his lead at the top of the championship standings with 186 points, followed by Norris with 176 and Verstappen with 137. The next round will be the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.