Oscar Piastri continued to stake his claim to the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ title with a clinical victory at the Circuit de Catalunya.
He added the pole position and the fastest lap, making this his second ‘hat trick’. He is only the 35th driver in the championship’s history to claim more than one.He joins Juan Pablo Montoya and Rene Arnoux on seven grand prix wins. Piastri’s fourth pole position puts him level with 1958 world champion Mike Hawthorn, plus Didier Pironi, Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella.
Piastri’s win meant this was the first Spanish Grand Prix for 10 years won by someone other than Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
Piastri led Lando Norris to McLaren’s 52nd one-two. It was the fourth for their current driver pairing, all of which Piastri has headed.
Nine rounds in, McLaren remains the only team to have had both its drivers on the podium, and each of them has only failed to reach the rostrum once all year. Charles Leclerc scored his third for Ferrari last weekend; Verstappen and George Russell have four each.
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Verstappen looked nailed-on for a podium finish until the Safety Car appeared. His post-race penalty condemned him to 10th place, which is his lowest running finish since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix, where he also scored a single point.
He was four seconds from failing to score at all, which would have ended Red Bull’s run of consecutive points finishes. They got their 76th in a row and are now five away from matching Ferrari’s all-time record.
Ordinarily this year Alexander Albon might have nicked fifth place behind Russell but Williams had a dreadful weekend and Nico Hulkenberg instead popped up to take his highest finish since the 2019 Italian Grand Prix, when he came fifth for Renault. This was the 13th top-five finish for the driver who famously still has no podium finishes to his name.
Fernando Alonso finally picked up his first points of the season. It took him nine rounds to get a score on the board, the longest he’s waited in 10 years. Only in his point-less inaugural season for Minardi 24 years ago did he go longer without scoring.
The Circuit de Catalunya remains the scene of his last grand prix victory, 12 years and 209 rounds ago (for him, having sat out the 2019 and 2020 seasons). This is the second-longest streak of starts without a win by any driver, ahead of the win-less 208-race career of Andrea de Cesaris. Only Hulkenberg has started more races consecutively without winning one, as last weekend’s event was his 235th.
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Finally, the 55th Spanish Grand Prix was the last to be held at the Circuit de Catalunya. The event will move to the new Madring next year. Catalunya is due to reappear on the 2026 F1 calendar but it remains to be seen what title it will use. Spanish tracks have also previously held the European Grand Prix, at Jerez in 1994 and 1997, and the Valencia Street Circuit from 2008-12.
This was the 35th Spanish Grand Prix to take place at the Circuit de Catalunya. Two more were held at Pedralbes, four at Montjuic Park, five at Jerez and nine at Jarama. The latter was also due to hold the race in 1980, but although most teams took part, due to a row between them and FISA (now the FIA) the event lost its championship status and no points were awarded.
Over to you
Have you spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Spanish Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
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2025 Spanish Grand Prix
- Verstappen versus Russell is Formula 1’s best grudge match for years
- “I tried to push him in the marbles”: Leclerc’s radio sheds light on Verstappen clash
- Alonso now has the second-longest run of win-less starts by any F1 driver
- “The worst it’s ever been”: Hamilton’s front wing headaches during Spanish GP
- Red Bull endured “sobering” weekend after pinning hopes on rule change – Marko
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
5th June 2025, 7:31
It is crazy to think Alonso has not win in 13 years, but the last time he did he won 2 races on home soil over just 4 weeks.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
5th June 2025, 11:53
Alonso won the 2012 European GP (Valencia) and the 2013 Spanish GP within a 10-month span and he won the 2012 German GP (Hockenheim) between those 2 wins.
Philippe (@philippe)
5th June 2025, 14:13
Actually, he won the 2013 Chinese GP, before the 2013 Spanish GP.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
5th June 2025, 14:44
I am not sure what I was smoking, you are absolutely right. I thought he won Valencia and Barcelona in 2013, but he won Valencia in 2012.
MacLeod (@macleod)
5th June 2025, 7:48
Alonso swapped teams too much when he left an team they started to win or the reverse when he came the winning stops.
Also the domination of Mercedes and Red Bull didn’t help. And those teams he never joined….
kuvemar
5th June 2025, 17:43
Renault stopped winning after he left (and they didn’t win before)
McLaren stopped winning shortly after he left
Renault (2) didn’t win any races after he left (and they didn’t win since he left the first time)
Ferrari didn’t do any better after he left,
McLaren was still not competitive for years after he left,
Alpine is still nowhere after he left (again, the weren’t any better before)
RUTH222
5th June 2025, 19:41
“McLaren stopped winning shortly after he left”
McLaren won races 5 seasons long after Alonso left, half a decade is not “shortly”.
“Renault (2) didn’t win any races after he left”
Team Enstone won races with Raikkonen in 2012 and 2013.
“Ferrari didn’t do any better after he left,”
They finished the season in 4th the final year of Alonso, they finished it in the top 3 for all the coming seasons up until 2019. Even fighting for the championship in 2017 en 2018.
“McLaren was still not competitive for years after he left,”
McLaren scored podiums every single year after Alonso left. Alonso scored 0 podiums in his second stint for McLaren.
Alonso is a great driver, but only half as great as Alonso himself thinks he is.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
5th June 2025, 8:25
Impressive given it’s mostly Max helping with that record.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
5th June 2025, 8:28
Maybe this will be called the Catalan GP with the political implications of both Madrid’s bid and the local goverment funding for this race. I attended last weekend (my first GP ever). Very well organized, people behaved well, the place was clean each morning, I loved it. It’s a terrific track for lower formulas I think. And for a change, the F1 race also delivered.
Jere (@jerejj)
5th June 2025, 9:10
Catalan GP is definitely an option & so is Barcelona GP, or even the European GP title, but we’ll see.
Mr A
5th June 2025, 10:53
“Scottish Grand Prix at Catalonia”.
Get all the political alliances in.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
5th June 2025, 13:16
Why not revive the much-missed* tradition of naming extra GPs after nearby microstates and call it the Andorran GP?
Mr A
6th June 2025, 11:37
Heh.
Maltese Grand Prix (at Istanbul Park)
Jere (@jerejj)
5th June 2025, 9:08
Victor Martins became the first French driver to drive a Williams car in an official GP weekend session since Alain Prost in 1993 season-finale.
For the second time this season, the 2025 pole lap time was slower than the 2024 equivalent following the Bahrain GP.
Gabriel Bortoleto achieved his career-best qualifying result with P12.
McLaren achieved their first front-row lockout in Montmelo since 1998.
The top four starting order was exactly the same as for the season-opener.
Oscar Piastri’s pole margin is the biggest 2025 pole margin so far.
Max Verstappen & George Russell set an identical lap time in Q3 like in last season’s Canadian GP qualifying, but the other way around.
Lance Stroll withdrew from a GP for the third time following the 2020 Eifel & 2023 Singapore GPs.
The first SC period at Circuit De Catalunya since the fast penultimate corner’s 2023 return.
Alexander Albon became the first driver to retire in Montmelo since Guanyu Zhou, the latter retiree in the 2022 race.
Mooa42
5th June 2025, 13:43
Nope. Norris on pole in Aus
Simon
5th June 2025, 23:32
Yep. For our wannabe Statto:
https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1254/australia/starting-grid
is not the same as
https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1262/spain/starting-grid
“The top four starting order was exactly the same as for the season-opener” is bordering on “Crofty” territory, and still not crediting original source
Jere (@jerejj)
6th June 2025, 6:53
Simon I simply misremembered, big deal, no one’s perfect.
Jere (@jerejj)
6th June 2025, 6:54
Mooa42 By bad, I misremembered the McLaren drivers’ respective order, but at least you aren’t pity about a simply mistake than Simon.
Jere (@jerejj)
6th June 2025, 8:15
My
Jere (@jerejj)
6th June 2025, 14:23
Simple, which I somehow failed to notice earlier.
WesselV1
5th June 2025, 9:29
I read a statistic on the Dutch formula 1 website where Verstappen took over Alonso’s record of most Grand Prix in a row finishing above their teammates. Alonso finished ahead of Massa in all races between Turkey 2011 and India 2013, Max hasn’t been outperformed by a teammate since Azerbaijan 2023.
tielemst
5th June 2025, 10:48
Can’t be right, can it? Perez finished above Verstappen last year in Australia as he had a DNF with that brake issue.
stefano (@alfa145)
5th June 2025, 11:57
DNF don’t count in these stats. they require both drivers finishing the race
isthatglock21
5th June 2025, 12:08
Somewhere out there in the world is one of Alonso’s ex girlfriends who no doubt is stabbing a doll that looks like him, enchanting a load of waffle & damming for the rest of eternity. I am amazed Alonso has hung around this long after that 2nd Mclaren-Honda stint broke him, I guess hope is a powerful drug. I guess he’s seen the other of motrosports in the USA, Europe & rally across the world, nothing beats F1. Equally it gets the old dog out of bed & keeps the bills paid I guess.
PeteB (@peteb)
5th June 2025, 13:51
Sure but there’s completely blind home and then there’s hope based on reality… He’s got Newey designing him a new car for the next set of regulations so he’s got every reason to be hopeful that he could add to this list of wins before he retires.
Sumedh
5th June 2025, 14:35
See Alonso’s quote 9 years back
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclaren-honda-has-best-chance-of-toppling-mercedes-says-alonso-5042196/5042196/
He was right. After Mercedes, Honda and Mclaren have toppled them. Too bad, Alonso didn’t listen to his own advice.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
5th June 2025, 12:18
If Hulkenberg does ever end up on the podium, I hope the pyrotechnics are at the ready. It would be a feel good story if nothing else. As someone who doesn’t watch the ‘ceremonies’ I’d watch that.
Edvaldo
5th June 2025, 13:31
The main issue with Alonso was that he made it too early. At 25 he was already a two-time champion. It gave him the impression that he had all the time in the world to regroup and think about his next step, even if sometimes it took him a couple of years to do so, that’s the reason he left a winning Mclaren to Renault, just to waste 2 years racing for nothing waiting Santander to bring him to a Ferrari that was not as good as it was in 2008.
And signing with Mclaren-Honda later was just a desperate move, as he had run out of options. Turns out, he spent much more of his career racing for nothing than actually in contention for something mostly due to his own choices.
SteveP
5th June 2025, 16:05
The main issue with Alonso was him not realising that the car was an important part of his previous success and that in the same car a talented rookie could beat him.
If he had gone direct from McLaren to Ferrari, people might have gone into “I smell a rat” mode.
Edvaldo
5th June 2025, 16:28
It would not have happened anyway. Santander bought Raikkonen’s contract for 2010, right at the beginning of their deal with Ferrari, but they wouldn’t do it before that, and for much more money, to allocate Alonso. And even if they could’ve bought Massa’s, Raikkonen then was considered as great of a threat as Hamilton, and Alonso was avoiding this kind of internal situation at all costs after 2007. No wonder he went back to Renault and Briatore instead of some other team. Now we all know Red Bull approached him around this time, and by 2009, he would’ve had a better car than Mclaren or Ferrari, but to be the number one was more important to him.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
5th June 2025, 20:24
I’m not convinced Alonso didn’t realise the car was important to his success. He’d been beaten over a season by Trulli 15 months before he signed for McLaren. He went to McLaren because he wanted to race there and the car had challenged him for the 2005 title and been the closest challenger to Ferrari over the past decade. He didn’t go to Ferrari as no-one in 2005 thought Michael would retire in 2006. Raikkonen’s stock was also at an all time high in 2005.
As for this beaten by a rookie rhetoric you come out with almost every time Alonso is mentioned. It’s 18 years ago. Hamilton was the best prepared rookie ever and went on to be the dominant driver of the decade. It’s disingenuous to suggest that some random rookie came in a beat the world champion. Alonso moved teams and finished the season behind on second places with one race different quali results. We’ll never see a more equal season between 2 legends. And for what it’s worth, this is as poor as Alonso was in F1 and as high as Lewis was in his McLaren era.
SteveP
6th June 2025, 7:26
That’s where we differ then.
I think he’d adopted some of the hype that surrounds a WDC winner (multiple, so not a “one and done”) and was thinking that a rookie was an irrelevance, and his junior apprentice at best. He expected #1 status.
Then he saw that even a rookie could be his match.
Yes, the rookie was someone who now has seven WDC on record, yes, he was well-prepared, but those were the days of unlimited testing and the top teams tested all the way to the bottom of some very deep pockets.
Enter the period of internal politics and FA demanding #1 status, and other things involving brown envelopes. The tales of Alonso politics in McLaren seem to be endless.
End of season results included a big fat zero for LH at China. I’d love to know the origin of the insane instructions for LH to stay out until his tyres were down to the canvas. An older, wiser LH would have argued and come in before the tyres were shot. Rookie mistake to not argue. China was critical.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
6th June 2025, 12:45
I think the important context here is that Alonso signed for McLaren in December 2005. Lewis was yet to turn a wheel in GP2. Alonso was promised number 1 status similar to Renault and partner Montoya while Lewis did a season at Spyker.
When Montoya left mid season he was replaced by De La Rosa which made it an all Spanish line up. As Alonso brought Santander money, McLaren were reluctant to have 2 Spanish drivers and supposedly want a British driver given Abbey National were in the process of being bought over by Santander.
To the McLaren management this was a complete win-win. The title sponsor is delighted, the world champion gets comfortable number 1 status and Hamilton isn’t loaned out – as the teams were against the customer car model McLaren and Spyker proposed due to the Red Bull Toro Rosso relationship.
So Alonso went to the only available top seat, which had been his main challenger the year he signed for the right reasons. He picked a legendary team, who promised him the world and reneged on it when they realised Hamilton was the golden ticket. He always knew the car was important.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
5th June 2025, 20:42
I agree to an extent. I’ll always maintain Alonso went to the right teams at the right time. He was massively impacted by the dominant eras and driver academy programmes however.
In 2005, McLaren was the best option aside from Ferrari and, simply there was no room there. Going to Renault to lick his wounds made sense given he had won championships there. Rejecting BMW, Honda and Red Bull was the right choice in 2008 given how dominant Ferrari had been for over a decade. Going anywhere other than Ferrari was a risk.
Alonso left Ferrari after a terrible 2014 but none of the cars were truly competitive. Most of his wins were with red bull unreliability or won by a couple of seconds. He didn’t ever have a car with multiple race wins in a row possible. That project ran it’s course and he had to look elsewhere. Mercedes were full due to Hamilton and Rosberg being great drivers in a dominant car, Red Bull were recruiting internally and Lotus/Renault were bankrupt. McLaren was the best option given that in 2015, McLaren had provided a championship challenging car in 05, 07, 08, 10 and 12 being best of the rest in 2011. McLaren was the right call. Engine freeze tokens in 2015 seriously hurt Honda and by the time the project was doomed to failure he was in his late 30s.
I think Alonso left most projects at the right time, Renault never won the title after he left, McLaren he was forced out of (understandably), Ferrari haven’t won the title since he left and haven’t got as close as Alonso did in poorer cars. McLaren round 2 clearly needed fresh ideas and Alpine have been worse since 2022.
I think it’s a huge shame that Alonso spent so much of his career in poor cars but I don’t think he made bad career moves or was complacent. Had Alonso joined Red Bull and won from 2009 to 2013, Hamilton have moved to Ferrari Vettel Mercedes we could have had a very different history to look at. While I’m doubtful he’ll win the title in 2026, there can’t be many fans that begrudge him a final win.
SteveP
5th June 2025, 22:17
It would be an interesting result. Some sort of evidence that you don’t have to be fresh from school to win.
However you look at it though, fan or detractor, the headlines would be about how Newey had gifted him with a WDC to retire with.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
6th June 2025, 7:06
No-one is gifted a title.
Since 2000 we’ve seen 4 periods of total dominance; each Champion is considered a worthy winner – I’ve never seen an objective professional opinion that Schumi, Seb, Lewis or Max were gifted the title by having the best car.
SteveP
6th June 2025, 11:33
I’m predicting the comments, and some headlines, not expressing an opinion on the validity.
You’re spot on about the lack of an objective opinion (professional or otherwise) suggesting any of those drivers had it gifted, although some years the dominance was so high it would have been hard to fail.
Leo B
5th June 2025, 18:15
Ah, but wait for 2026. Newey has plans for AM to dominate like never before!!
Señor Sjon
5th June 2025, 20:01
Verstappen only has 5 non-top 10 finishes in his whole career, the last being the infamous Spa 2016.
Mooa42
6th June 2025, 1:20
Wow, that is an impressive stat.
SteveP
6th June 2025, 12:29
Possibly not as impressive when you factor in the DNFs arising from collisions with other cars or barriers.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
5th June 2025, 20:53
I have to say about the alonso non-win streak I was thinking who possibly could have a longer time since their last race win and couldn’t come up with anyone, turns out it’s a driver who never won, so honestly I found it a bit misleading stat, we can therefore say that alonso, out of the drivers who won, is the one that had the longest win draught.
W (@criticalmass)
5th June 2025, 21:08
Yet I don’t hear any calls for him to retire nor that he’s “washed up”
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
5th June 2025, 22:23
Piastri’s 7th win means he equals Juan Pablo Montoya, the only other driver to have won a GP on 1st June.
Second time (after Azerbaijan 2017) where an Australian driver has won after a 4-time champion deliberately drove into a British driver driving for Mercedes.
Only current circuits at which Leclerc has raced but never finished on the podium: Hungaroring, Interlagos, Shanghai.
All teams have scored points in one or both of the last 2 races – the last time this happened was Italy and Singapore 2023 (the latter of which also saw a Stroll withdrawal).
Ferrari’s first Barcelona podium since 2017.
Antonelli is the first Mercedes driver to fail to score in 3 consecutive races since Rosberg failed to score in 7 consecutive races in 2012-13.
Thanks to statsf1 and the official F1 site for some of these.