Charles Leclerc was well on his way to claiming a win and extending his lead at the top the standings, but close to halfway through the race is Ferrari lost power and he was forced to retire.

Verstappen beat his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, to secure another one-two for the team.

This also saw the team move to the summit of the constructors’ standings.

Verstappen said he was lucky, but he will take the third straight win, especially after experiencing problems with his DRS and being forced to change strategies.

“I mean of course I went off – I suddenly had a lot of tail wind," explained race-winner Max Verstappen.

“So I just lost the rear and went off. Of course, I was in the train and I tried to pass but my DRS was not always working, so that made it very tough but we managed, due to the strategy, to get ahead again and do our own race and eventually win the race.

“So, difficult beginning but a good end. At the end, happy to win and happy for Checo you know. It was a great result for the team.”

George Russell of Mercedes rounded off the podium in Catalunya.

The next stop for the drivers will be Monte Carlo for the iconic Monaco Grand Prix on 29 May.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport