F1: LEWIS HAMILTON DOMINATES SPANISH GRAND PRIX

Lewis Hamilton leading the Spanish Grand Prix – Photo: LAT

Lewis Hamilton dominated the Spanish Grand Prix to take out his 41st Formula 1 win.

The Mercedes driver looked unchallenged at Circuit de Catalunya as he led the race from start to finish taking out a comfortable win ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas by over 20 seconds. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the podium.

“I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team.” said Hamilton after his victory.

“Today the car and myself, I felt that synergy today, which I haven’t felt this year. This is when we’re going to start to continue to apply the pressure.”

While Hamilton’s run was uneventful, the same could not be said for his rivals.

Romain Grosjean crashing out of the Spanish Grand Prix – Photo: LAT

Haas’s Romain Grosjean spun in a cloud of tyre smoke during the opening sequence of corners, on the first lap, taking out Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) and Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) in the process. The first six laps of the race were completed under the control of the safety car while the carnage was cleaned up.

The Frenchman will carry a three-place grid penalty into the next race at Monaco as a result of the incident.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen dropped out of the race on Lap 25 with a mechanical failure while sitting comfortably fourth pace. The Finnish driver had been holding off the two Red Bull’s and looked to pull into the pits before slowing on the straight and stopping his car.

An engine failure on Esteban Ocon’s Force India during Lap 38 triggered a Virtual Safety Car.

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) used the opportunity to stop for a second time, to get fresher rubber while the others continued on the single stop strategy. The move didn’t pay off however with a slow stop dropping the German driver from second to fourth behind Verstappen.

The damage to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull – Photo: LAT

Verstappen would have his own issues, after making contact with Lance Stroll (Williams) under the VSC. Damage to his front wing would concern the Dutchman for the remainder of the race, but he held off the challenge of Vettel to claim the final spot on the podium.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo had a lonely run to finish in fifth setting the fastest lap in the process.

Formula 1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Result

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