Verstappen records his third Grand Slam, Piastri joins Schumacher and Verstappen in an exclusive club and Hulkenberg records his first Q3 appearance at Catalunya. Here’s a statistic from each driver’s 2023 Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN
After equalling Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet for 11th in the all-time list of most pole positions on Saturday at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen recorded the third Grand Slam of his career. Verstappen became the tenth driver to record three Grand Slams with the 40th victory of his Formula 1 career, becoming the sixth driver to reach 40 Grand Prix wins.
Notably, the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix also marked Verstappen’s 150th Q3 appearance, made him the seventh driver to have taken pole position at 18 different circuits, marked the ninth race he has led from start to finish and saw him overtake Nigel Mansell as the driver to have led the sixth most Grand Prix laps in Formula 1 history.
This was also the second consecutive race which Verstappen won by over 20 seconds. It’s the 31st time in Formula 1 that a driver has won consecutive races by over 20 seconds. Verstappen is only the fourth driver to achieve the feat this millennium and is the first to do so since Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
🇲🇽 Sergio PEREZ
Qualifying in 11th place for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, Sergio Perez became the first Red Bull driver to fail to reach Q3 at the Spanish Grand Prix since Mark Webber in 2012. This was the first time since 2019 that Perez failed to reach Q3 at the Spanish Grand Prix. Driving from 11th on the grid to fourth at the finish, Perez gained seven positions over the course of the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. It’s the most places he’s gained to date in a race at this venue.
🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC
Charles Leclerc was the unexpected name to miss out on a slot in Q2 at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver recorded his first Q1 elimination since the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix. Qualifying in 19th, the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix was the first time Leclerc qualified on the back row of the grid since the third race of his Formula 1 career at the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix. The preceding race – the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix – is the only other back row qualification of his career.
Leclerc started from the pit lane for the first time in his Formula 1 career. He finished the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix in 11th place. It marked the first time Leclerc has reached the chequered flag without scoring since finishing 15th in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.
🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ
Carlos Sainz recorded his first front row qualification of the season at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, making him the second Spanish driver to record a front row start at his home Grand Prix. Sainz lost three positions from his front row start to finish fifth. It was the sixth consecutive race in which he finished in a worse position than where he started.
🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON
With fifth place in qualifying for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to record 15 Q3 appearances at the Spanish Grand Prix. On Sunday, he recorded his 11th podium finish at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, putting him one away from equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of 12 top three finishes at the Spanish Grand Prix.
This was Hamilton’s seventh consecutive trip to the podium on which he finished as runner-up. Hamilton was voted Driver Of The Day for the first time since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
🇬🇧 George RUSSELL
George Russell was eliminated in Q2 at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, qualifying in 12th place – his worst qualifying result of the season to date. It made him the first Mercedes driver to fail to reach Q3 at the Spanish Grand Prix since the manufacturer returned to the sport as a works team in 2010.
Despite starting only 12th, Russell finished third in the Spanish Grand Prix for the second consecutive year. Having started 12th, Russell became the first driver to finish on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix having started 10th or further back since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2001. Russell equals the record for the furthest back position from which a podium has been recorded at Catalunya. Montoya also started 12th in 2001, as did Olivier Panis in 1997.
This was Russell’s first podium finish since his victory at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. It was his tenth visit to the podium, making him the 79th driver to record ten or more top three finishes in Formula 1.
🇫🇷 Esteban OCON
Esteban Ocon finished in eighth place at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, picking up points for the third consecutive season at the track.
🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY
Pierre Gasly qualified in fourth place for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, equalling the best qualifying result of his career. This was Gasly’s best Spanish Grand Prix qualifying result to date. His previous best Saturday result at the track was sixth place, with Red Bull in 2019. Gasly dropped six positions on the grid, however, after picking up two separate three-place grid penalties for impeding other drivers.
🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS
Lando Norris impressed in qualifying at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, setting the third fastest time. This was his first top three qualification since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the fourth top three qualification of Norris’ career. It was the first time Norris qualified in the top seven at the Spanish Grand Prix and the first time since 2019 that he out-qualified his team-mate at the event.
Despite his strong qualifying showing, Norris finished 17th for the fourth time in the first seven races of the 2023 season. This was the first time Norris failed to score at the Spanish Grand Prix since his maiden season in 2019.
🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI
Oscar Piastri overtook Larry Perkins and Dave Walker to become the seventh most experienced Australian driver in Formula 1 at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Qualifying in the top ten, Piastri joined Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher in an exclusive club of drivers who’ve reached Q3 on every appearance at the Spanish Grand Prix.
🇫🇮 Valtteri BOTTAS
Valtteri Bottas failed to progress to Q2 at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, qualifying in 16th place. This was the first time that the Finn failed to reach Q3 at Catalunya since his maiden season in 2013, when he was also eliminated in Q1.
Bottas finished in 19th place at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, recording the worst result of his career, excluding retirements. Bottas failed to score at the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time since 2017. 2013 – when he finished 16th – is the only other Catalunya race in which the Finn has not picked up points.
🇨🇳 ZHOU Guanyu
Finishing ninth, Zhou Guanyu equalled his best result of the 2023 season so far and picked up points for the fifth time in his career.
🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO
On the weekend that Fernando Alonso became the first driver to make 20 appearances at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, he equalled Michael Schumacher as the driver to have reached the chequered flag on the most occasions at the track.
With a damaged floor in qualifying, Alonso could qualify no higher than ninth. This was the first time Alonso qualified outside of the top six in 2023. On Sunday, he recorded his worst result of the season to date with seventh place. It was the first time he failed to finish in the top four in 2023 – but seventh is Alonso’s best result at his home event since finishing sixth with Ferrari in 2014.
🇨🇦 Lance STROLL
Lance Stroll out-qualified Fernando Alonso for the first time during their time as team-mates at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Qualifying sixth, Stroll equalled his best qualifying result of the season so far. He also qualified sixth at the Saudi Arabian and Australian Grands Prix.
Finishing sixth in the race, Stroll recorded his first points since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This was the second time Stroll has picked up points at the Spanish Grand Prix. He also scored in 2020, with a fourth place finish.
🇩🇰 Kevin MAGNUSSEN
Kevin Magnussen recorded his fourth Q1 exit of the 2023 season. This was the 59th Q1 exit of the Dane’s career, equalling Timo Glock for third place in the list of most Q1 exits in Formula 1. Magnussen finished 18th at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. It’s his worst result to date at the Catalunya track but he maintains his 100% finishing record at the circuit.
🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG
Nico Hulkenberg qualified in eighth place at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. It was his best qualifying result since qualifying third at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020 and marked the first time in his ten appearances at the Spanish Grand Prix that he has qualified in the top ten. Lining up seventh on the grid for the 26th time in his career, Hulkenberg equalled Fernando Alonso for the most starts from the seventh grid slot.
🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA
Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth on the road at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix but dropped to 12th in the final order following a five-second penalty. Having started 15th, this was the second year in succession that Tsunoda gained three places from where he started at the Spanish Grand Prix.
🇳🇱 Nyck DE VRIES
With Nyck De Vries also finishing outside of the points in 14th and Yuki Tsunoda also failing to pick up any points, this was only the second time in the last nine Catalunya races that the Red Bull junior team failed to score any points.
🇹🇭 Alex ALBON
Alex Albon recorded his second Q1 exit of the year at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. With Fernando Alonso being out-qualified by Lance Stroll, Albon is now the only driver yet to be out-qualified by his team-mate in 2023.
🇺🇸 Logan SARGEANT
Logan Sargeant set the 20th and slowest qualifying lap time for the third time in his career. He finished the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix in the same position as he started, making him the 16th F1 driver to record multiple 20th place finishes during their career.
