Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix

Another impressive and strategic drive saw Lewis Hamilton edge out his rival Max Verstappen and win the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton began the race with his 100th pole position, but he soon lost the lead to the Red Bull driver. Overtaking is difficult in Spain, but Mercedes orchestrated a two-stop pit strategy that enabled him to make up a 21-second deficit. Despite teammate Valtteri Bottas failing to get out of the way neatly on lap 52 and costing Hamilton nearly a second in time, Hamilton soon caught Verstappen. On lap 60 of 66, Hamilton swept past Verstappen, the Red Bull driver unable to contend with fresher tyres. After losing the lead, Verstappen finally went for a second pit stop, adding a point for fastest lap to his second place.

Bottas lost the chance for the win early on in the race after a bad start – he was passed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and stuck behind him until a pit stop on lap 23. It was possible he could have challenged Verstappen, but he was ordered to let Hamilton through by Mercedes, who then pitted him for a crack at fastest lap. He finished a comfortable third, ahead of Leclerc in fourth and Sergio Perez in fifth.

Down the pack, Yuki Tsunoda was the sole retiree, his AlphaTauri stopping on lap nine with what transpired was a fuel pressure issue. An engine issue also plagued former world champion Fernando Alonso, and he dropped away from a spot in the points to eventually finish in 17th. George Russell was also in the points for a period, but Williams’ strategy didn’t pay off, leading to a 14th-place finish. At the bottom of the pile was Nikita Mazepin in 19th, again attracting criticism for blocking other drivers. Toto Wolff put a rare call into race control about the Haas driver, and his actions drew the attention of stewards for the first time – it’s hard to see his position in F1 being sustainable if he causes problems every race.

I did what the team asked because there is a great trust between us. Remarkable job by everyone in this team. What a day

– Lewis Hamilton

After the race, Hamilton said: “First I want to acknowledge the fans that are here. It is great to see. I saw a British flag out there which I haven’t seen for a long, long time. I feel great after this. I feel like I could go again.

“I was so close [behind Verstappen] for so long but just managed to keep the tyres in somehow. 22 seconds was a long way to come back but it was a good gamble – a really great strategy from the team. I was about to get a shot to get past him as I pitted. I was really conflicted – ‘do I come in or ignore the call’. I did what the team asked because there is a great trust between us. Remarkable job by everyone in this team. What a day.”

Verstappen said: “In a way I could see it coming. Already at the end with the softs, he [Hamilton] was faster and when he put on the mediums, he had a lot more pace. There was not much we could’ve done. Then they went for another stop and I knew it was over because I was already struggling with the tyres and you could see every lap, he was getting closer and closer. Bit of a sitting duck.

“With the cars behind, you don’t want to pit in traffic, but it makes a clear advantage when there is more pace in the car. If we would have jumped for another stop, I’m not sure we would’ve caught up again. I tried everything I could. We’re not where we want to be and we still need to push hard and catch up because at the moment we are a little bit slower. But compared to last year, it has been a jump for us.”

Bottas said: “What made it more tricky was I lost a place to Charles at lap one. He chose a better line through Turn Three. That compromised the race a bit. It is a bit of a shame but I am pleased to make it to the podium.”

After a weekend off, we head to Monaco on 23 May. The race last year was postponed due to Covid-19, but Hamilton will be hoping to repeat his 2019 victory and further cement his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.