Max Verstappen started from second, but lost several places after spinning at Turn 4. Despite this, his chances of achieving his second victory at the circuit where he won his first grand prix increased when his rival for the title, Charles Leclerc , who had led for the first half of the race, retired due to Ferrari engine problems.
But Verstappen ‘s race was further complicated by a problem with his DRS activator, which had also ruined his final lap of Q3 on Saturday.
Despite Red Bull’s efforts to find a solution, the mishap reappeared as the Dutchman tried to overtake George Russell in the fight for the lead.
Due to the combination of the intermittent DRS problem and the Briton’s solid defense, Verstappen and Red Bull decided to change strategy and go for all three stops, spending up to three sets of used soft compounds to try and regain position.
Finally, this plan allowed him to win the race, also after Red Bull asked his teammate, Sergio Pérez, to give up the lead in the last 20 laps, as the defending world champion came from behind with much more pace.
“Suddenly there was a lot of wind at the back of the car and I lost it, losing control of the car as well,” explained the now new championship leader after the Spanish GP.
“Then when I was in the fight again I tried to overtake but my DRS wasn’t always working so that made it difficult but we managed to strategize to get back in front and make our own race to win. It was a start difficult, with a good ending,” he said.
Verstappen was very nervous on the radio when he was informed that his DRS problems had returned, but said after the race that he tried to focus his attention on making his alternative strategy work rather than getting angry about it.
“I tried to stay focused. Of course it’s not nice when these things happen, but in the end I’m very happy to win and also very happy for Checo, because it was a very good result for the team.”
“I think the behavior of the car was good on the soft tyre, but also on the medium it worked quite well,” added the Dutchman.
Thanks to his fourth victory of the season and the withdrawal of his main rival, Max Verstappen takes the lead in the championship for the first time in 2022, arriving at the next Monaco Grand Prix with a six-point lead over Charles Leclerc .
