Sunday’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix threw in a few surprises as Max Verstappen, debutant at Red Bull Racing, clinched his first ever victory. Having swapped seats with Daniil Kyvat, who moved to sister company Toro Rosso, Verstappen became the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 race.
Graduating from Toro Rosso, Verstappen won the Spanish GP in Barcelona at just 18 years and 227 days. Max managed to do this feat 2 years and 210 days earlier than the previous record holder, Sebastian Vettel who finished third on Sunday. "It feels amazing. I cannot believe it," Verstappen said. "It was a great race. I have to say thanks to the team for making such a great car. To win straight away in the first race is an amazing feeling.”
Verstappen also became the first person to win a Grand Prix under the Dutch Flag in Formula 1. Leading the race for the last 32 laps, Verstappen managed to soak up immense pressure from both Ferraris to finish at the top of the podium.
The other major incident at the Circuit de Catalunya took place within 30 seconds of the start of the race and involved two team-mates and championship rivals. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton took each other out of contention on Sunday after their collision before Turn 4. Hamilton got a better run out of Turn 3 and managed to slip to the inside line approaching Turn 4. Rosberg defended aggressively leading to Hamilton being pushed onto the grass. The Mercedes lost traction and crashed into its sister car with both silver arrows ending up in the gravel and ending their race.
