F1 RACE ZONE: Red Bull lead every lap in Barcelona for the third Grand Prix in a row

Max Verstappen continued his championship defense with a third win in a row at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The victory extends his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship to 43 points over team-mate Sergio Perez, with Red Bull more than 100 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’ table after winning each of the opening seven races.

However, it was a good showing for Toto Wolff’s team in their upgraded cars, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell completing the podium despite starting fifth and twelfth.

Lando Norris ran a poor race as he was forced to pit on the first lap and eventually finished 17th after starting third.

Sportsmail’s Michael Rudling looks at the big talking points of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Lewis Hamilton was second ahead of George Russell third, while Mercedes completed the podium

RED BULL UNTOUCHABLE

Verstappen’s victory from pole means that Red Bull has now led every lap of the last three grands prix.

Hamilton finished 24 seconds behind him in second despite a much improved performance from his upgraded Mercedes, while the Dutchman went on to take another easy victory despite warnings for going over track limits.

Teams seem realistic about Red Bull’s dominance, with most accepting that they were fighting for second place in the pre-race chat.

MARTIN BRUNDLE SONDES MASON MOUNT

It wouldn’t be F1 without Martin Brundle’s all-too-direct gridwalk interviews, and he got a perfect target on Sunday when he ran into Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.

The 24-year-old was enjoying a holiday in Spain with team-mate Ben Chilwell while talk of a move from Stamford Bridge was rumored, something Brundle couldn’t resist putting him to the test.

“He says you’re going to Manchester United!” The former driver told Mount, who laughed at the jibe and insisted he was ‘just here to enjoy the race’.

The Red Devils have opened talks with Chelsea about the England international, although they remain far apart in their valuations.

Brundle also formed one of the sport’s more unlikely double acts as he chatted briefly with PSG striker Neymar.

There was a strong football presence at the race with Reece James, Aymeric Laporte, Kylian Mbappé and Sergio Busquets also on the track.

Martin Brundle produced one of his famous gridwalk moments when he questioned Mason Mount about his ties to Manchester United

Lando Norris had an afternoon to forget as he fell from third to 17th in Barcelona

SORRY AFTERNOON FOR LANDO NORRIS

The Briton had high hopes when he started third on the grid, but things quickly went wrong for Norris in a race to forget for McLaren.

He was forced into the pit lane after colliding with Hamilton on the first lap and damaging his front wing. Norris never really recovered and finished in 17th place.

Oscar Piastri fared slightly better in the other McLaren, but still dropped three places as he finished 13th after starting 10th.

SEVEN MANUFACTURERS IN THE TOP SEVEN

There was something new at the end of qualifying on Saturday, with seven different manufacturers taking the first seven places on the grid.

It came after Charles Leclerc, Russell and Sergio Perez all retired earlier than expected and let the likes of Esteban Ocon go to the fourth row.

The last time no manufacturer had more than one car at the front of the grid was at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

SUSPICIOUS DEFENSES OF GEORGE RUSSELL

The Mercedes driver was outstanding on Sunday as he overcame a shaky qualifying session to move from 12th to third, but was found to be lacking in another area.

Russell raced well to recover from 12th to third, but was less successful as a weatherman

Russell radioed “rain in turn five,” a disturbing proclamation for teams already committed to their tire strategies.

Despite all of Mercedes’ high-tech weather equipment, Toto Wolff stood outside with cupped hands checking his driver’s claim, and the team boss seemed completely unconvinced.

The mystery was solved a few laps later, when Russell admitted that the ‘rain’ he had reported was in fact sweat in his helmet.

Don’t give up the day job, George.