F1 Spanish GP Breakdown: How Red Bull Pushed McLaren to Peak Performance

Red Bull’s daring strategy pushed McLaren to show the real pace of its MCL39 at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. On a day when track temperatures soared close to 50 degrees Celsius and tire management was expected to play the largest role, McLaren appeared in control through the opening phase.

Lando Norris showed strong speed early, even overtaking Max Verstappen on track. However, Red Bull chose a bold three-stop plan as their only chance to keep up with McLaren’s advantage on tire conservation.

Christian Horner explained after the race that Red Bull committed to the three-stop approach soon after seeing Norris’s pass. They realized they couldn’t match McLaren on pure tire management, so pushed for outright pace, which required extra pit stops and brave calls.

The C1 tire compound was weak on the Barcelona surface, so teams worked mostly with softer tires. But each stop carries a penalty of about 22 seconds, and returning to the track in traffic often leads to increased tire wear—a trade-off Red Bull accepted.

Verstappen’s key moment came during his second pit stop. Switching to medium tires, he gained ground quickly as Red Bull tracked Lewis Hamilton to ensure Verstappen kept a clear run.

This forced the McLaren pitwall to monitor the gap closely and consider whether their cautious approach could withstand a late charge. Team principal Andrea Stella said the team felt secure after overtaking Verstappen, but Red Bull’s pace increase surprised them.

Stella even ordered both McLaren drivers to push harder, although they claimed there wasn’t much speed left to find. Oscar Piastri’s second stint proved McLaren had more performance available if needed.

From lap 24 to lap 42, he averaged a 1m20.0s lap time but shaved nearly half a second per lap in the closing laps of the stint after being told to chase harder. This improvement came even after about 20 laps on the same set of tires.

While Piastri’s ability to up the pace marked a clear reserve in the McLaren, Norris struggled with more tire wear, particularly on his front-left, and reported understeer in Turn 3. Though Norris thought he might be graining the tires, it was just standard wear after pushing harder in the earlier stints.

As the final pit stops played out, Piastri built a gap at the front, and Red Bull moved first with an early third stop to attempt an undercut. McLaren covered the move with Norris, using their position with both cars at the front.

Having two cars in the lead group allowed McLaren more strategy options than Red Bull, which relied solely on Verstappen’s solo push. In the end, it was McLaren’s combination of strong tire management and the ability to increase their pace when needed that helped them defend against Red Bull’s aggressive strategy.

The MCL39 responded when pushed, especially in crucial moments, proving that its performance ceiling sits higher than its usual cautious runs suggest. McLaren’s flexibility under pressure was tested, but the outcome at Barcelona showed the team can adapt when a rival like Red Bull turns up the heat.

For more on tire strategies in Spain, see the analysis of the F1 flexi wing Spanish GP.

Red Bull’s bold calls echo similar aggressive approaches seen in other races, contrasting with moments like Sainz’s Monaco challenges.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.