In the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen emerged as the winner, narrowly defeating Lando Norris. The race was defined by McLaren’s strategic decision, which almost worked.
Norris, having achieved his first pole position in three years, led the race on new soft tyres. However, his start from pole position was poor, allowing George Russell to steal the lead from fourth on the grid. Verstappen also managed to overtake Norris, pushing him into third place.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc’s fast start was cut short when he had to brake sharply to avoid Norris. Despite this, Leclerc was unable to gain ground. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, overtook Leclerc, but went off the track at Turn 1. He returned to the track without penalty, following the rules.
On lap three, Verstappen used his DRS advantage to take the lead back from Russell. He held his position after a brief wheel-to-wheel battle. Verstappen then built a lead of more than a second over Russell, setting himself up for a comfortable victory. However, McLaren’s strategy would soon challenge Verstappen’s dominance.
Russell and Sainz were the first of the lead group to pit, switching from soft to medium tires on lap 16. Hamilton did the same on lap 17. Sainz managed to get out ahead of the Mercedes, but Hamilton quickly overtook him on lap 19 after light contact. Verstappen then made his pit stop on lap 18, covering the Mercedes and Sainz. He emerged well ahead of them with a quick pit stop.
Norris and Leclerc, however, continued to run on their initial soft tyres, unaffected by Verstappen’s pit stop. Norris finally made his pit stop on lap 24, returning to the race in sixth place. Leclerc did the same on the next lap, emerging in seventh place.
Norris quickly caught up with Sainz and passed him easily. He then targeted Hamilton, engaging in a battle with Russell. Norris eventually secured second place by overtaking Russell. Although Verstappen had a nine-second lead over Norris, the difference quickly narrowed to less than six seconds.
With Norris moving ominously towards a faster strategy, Verstappen decided to pit for soft tires on lap 45. Norris did the same three laps later, managing to stay ahead of Russell after the stop. Norris now had to make up an eight-second gap if he was to win the race.
The difference between the two drivers gradually narrowed, with Norris reducing it to 4.3 seconds with five laps remaining. On the final lap, Norris was only 2.5 seconds behind Verstappen, but the Dutch driver managed to hang on to secure his seventh win of the season by a margin of 2.2 seconds.
Verstappen’s fast start and efficient pit stop played a crucial role in Red Bull’s success. Despite McLaren’s good performance, Verstappen’s victory demonstrated Red Bull’s competitiveness. Norris finished second with the fastest lap, but expressed disappointment over the radio, acknowledging his mistake early on.
Hamilton secured the final podium place after a pit stop for soft tires and overtook Sainz and Russell. Russell finished fourth, opting for hard tires in the final stretch. Leclerc settled for fifth place, highlighting Ferrari’s difficulties over the weekend. Sainz chose hard tires for his third leg and finished in sixth place.
Alpine had a good performance in Spain, with Pierre Gasly finishing seventh and Esteban Ocon eighth. Both drivers followed similar tire strategies and finished ninth and tenth respectively. Sergio Perez managed to overtake Gasly in the latter stages of the race, securing eighth place for Red Bull. However, it was another disappointing weekend for Perez, who added just two points to Red Bull’s total in Spain.
Ocon’s tenth place was secure, as Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who was gaining ground in the latter stages, received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Fernando Alonso finished in 12th place, while Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu finished in 13th place. Lance Stroll had a scoreless weekend for Aston Martin, finishing in 14th place.
Despite bringing a significant upgrade package to Spain, Red Bull scored no points, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing in 15th place and Yuki Tsunoda in 19th. Valtteri Bottas finished in 16th place, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, who received a five-second penalty for a false start.
Williams struggled with pace and balance in Spain, with Alex Albon skidding off the track and finishing in 18th place, while Logan Sargeant finished last.
© 2024
Portuguese
Football star Cristiano Ronaldo is in advanced talks to return to the club where he started his career, Sporting Lisbon. According to sources close to the player, Ronaldo is enthusiastic about the idea of wearing the Sporting shirt again and finishing his career at the club that revealed him to the world.
For 39 years, Ronaldo has continued to maintain excellent physical shape and continues to be one of the most talented and influential players in world football. His contract will provide a great boost for Sporting, who seeks to win titles and turn into a power in European football.
Ronaldo was at Sporting in 2003, when he was tackled by Manchester United. From there, he moved to clubs such as Real Madrid and Juventus, winning numerous titles and individual awards throughout his career. In turn, Sporting is looking for a way to pay back to the club that launches for the star and also an opportunity to start his career in great style.
Despite the negotiations being advanced, there is no finalized agreement between Ronaldo and Sporting. However, both of us are optimistic and trust that the transfer will be official soon. Sporting’s torchbearers are anxious about the possibility of seeing the idol on the pitch again and the expectation is that his match will achieve good results for the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo is recognized not only by his talent on the pitch, but also by his philanthropic work and his posture as an example of dedication and discipline. In turn at Sporting there is a special moment for the teams and for the club, which we can count as the presence of one of the greatest players in the history of football.
With Ronaldo’s upcoming transfer to Sporting, the club hopes to attract greater attention from the media and its patrons. Além said, the presence of the star in the field will certainly increase the number of torches in our stadiums and encourage the sale of licensed products. Once Ronaldo at Sporting promises to be a Marco in the history of Portuguese club and football.
We anxiously watch the completion of the negotiations and the official confirmation from Cristiano Ronaldo to Sporting Lisboa. The torchbearers are filled and we hope that the announcement will be done soon, so that we can celebrate the return of the idol and celebrate great achievements for the club. Ronaldo’s turn to Sporting is a news that will certainly be remembered in the world of football and we are anxious to see the crack in action again.
