Max Verstappen finishes P2 at Spanish Grand Prix after Hamilton incident

Max Verstappen finished second at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit following a controversial opening lap involving Lewis Hamilton. During the start, Verstappen cut the Turn 1 chicane to avoid a collision with Hamilton, who had clipped a kerb and drifted back onto the racing line.

Red Bull Racing instructed Verstappen to yield the position to Hamilton, which also required him to let Kimi Antonelli through, temporarily dropping him to fourth. Verstappen expressed intense frustration over the team radio, describing the situation as ‘Mickey Mouse racing’ and arguing that staying on track would have resulted in terminal damage.

Shortly after the position swap, Hamilton was forced to retire from the race due to brake failure. Verstappen eventually fought back to secure a podium finish, finishing behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and ahead of Lando Norris. Verstappen noted that while Red Bull lacked the pace to challenge for the win, he maximized the result by defending his position on the difficult-to-overtake circuit.