Lewis Hamilton brushed aside Red Bull and tyre concerns to seal an emphatic and dominating Spanish GP victory to extend his F1 championship lead, while a feisty Max Verstappen beat Valtteri Bottas to second.
A week after a surprise first defeat of the season, Mercedes had been wary of the threat posed by Red Bull again in the Barcelona heat – but pole-sitter Hamilton was firmly in control from start to finish despite Verstappen’s admirable efforts.
Verstappen, however, can take solace from the fact he beat one of the Mercedes given their pace advantage, with Bottas made to rue a poor start to the race, which saw him drop down to fourth after Turn One.
The win at the Spanish Grand Prix extends Hamilton’s World Championship lead to 37 points over Max Verstappen, who is also currently six ahead of Bottas.
It also marked Hamilton’s 88th career victory, now just three shy of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of wins.
It was also his 156th podium finish, a new record, beating the previous mark, also held by Schumacher.
Related: Formula 1: Max Verstappen edges out Mercedes for victory at 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
Watch the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix race Highlights
“I was just in a daze, I felt really good out there today,” says Hamilton.
The top three. Hamilton, Verstappen, and Bottas were simply on a different league entirely as they were the only drivers who weren’t lapped during the largely two-stop race, although there was intense battling through the midfield.
Lance Stroll of Racing Point took the fourth position ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez, who was handed a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags but finished ahead on the track.
Carlos Sainz finished impressively in sixth for McLaren at his home race while Sebastian Vettel endured very difficult circumstances, somehow managing his wearing soft tyres with a superb drive in to spare Ferrari’s blushes.
Sebastian Vettel, however, was voted Driver of the Day for good measure.
Charles Leclerc had earlier spun and retired in the other Ferrari with an electrical failure.
Alex Albon will also be disappointed, with the Red Bull driver – who has so often been a Sunday star this season – dropping two positions from his grid slot and failing to replicate the pace of Verstappen ahead.
Spanish GP, race result
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1st)
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull (2nd)
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes (3rd)
- Sergio Perez, Racing Point (4th)
- Lance Stroll, Racing Point (5th)
- Carlos Sainz, McLaren (6th)
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari (7th)
- Alex Albon, Red Bull (8th)
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri10 (9th)
- Lando Norris, McLaren (10th)
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