Cool and clever: Hamilton beats Verstappen

The seven-time Formula 1 champion was not impressed by a successful attack from the Dutchman right in the first corner and countered with a fantastic comeback after a second pit stop at the Spanish Grand Prix.

After his 100th pole, Hamilton achieved his 98th Grand Prix victory and his fifth success in a row on the difficult-to-overtake circuit at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday. Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas came third in the second Mercedes. Verstappen only stayed in second place for six laps due to the tire gambling Before the end, Hamilton pulled over the 23-year-old in his 100th race over for Red Bull. Nothing came of the triumph at his place first Formula 1 victory five years ago as the youngest driver in the world Motorsport premier class. In the standings, Hamilton's lead over the classic race grew to 14 points in two weeks in Monaco. Leclerc in 4th place In the slipstream of the World Cup battle, Ferrari once again remained without a podium finish - although Charles Leclerc was very close in fourth. The Monegasse showed off several overtaking maneuvers, but in the end he was clearly inferior in the fight for third place with Bottas. Leclerc took fourth place in the ranking, three positions better than his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished seventh at the home Grand Prix in Spain.

Charles Leclerc missed the podium. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Sebastian Vettel experienced another race under the demands of a four-time world champion - or in short: to be forgotten. 13th place and thus again not in the points. Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, also performed carefully in what was only his fourth Formula 1 race. However, last year's 18-year-old Formula 21 champion couldn't do better than 2th place in the slow Haas after he was lapped a little more than halfway through.

Because the two World Cup opponents at the front put a lot of pressure on right from the start. Verstappen knew it like Hamilton: a preliminary decision could be made at the start as to who would reach the finish line after 66 laps on a difficult-to-overtake course. Hamilton had secured pole, the whopping 100th of his career. Verstappen was in second place on the grid on the dirtier inside, but got away really well, briefly moved directly behind Hamilton, swerved and attacked the Spanish winner of the last four years in the first corner. And it was getting tight. Verstappen risked contact, Hamilton backed away. The challenger was now leading the field, the defending champion was in pursuit.

Max Verstappen pushed past Lewis Hamilton after the start. © APA/afp / LLUIS GENE

Verstappen was unable to break away and any lead would have been lost when the Alpha Tauri of Japanese newcomer Yuki Tsunoda stopped and the safety car had to come out. Verstappen also confidently mastered the always tricky moment when the drivers are allowed to accelerate again. Hamilton couldn't get there. What to do, what now?

The course outside Barcelona has long had a reputation as a procession route. Overtaking is hardly possible, even with the aids of current racing cars. The fact that the winner started from the front row 30 times out of 27 races strengthens the track's reputation. So it would probably just be about strategy. The softest tire compound was breaking down, Hamilton now put Verstappen under pressure and reduced the gap to less than a second when Verstappen drove in to change tires. And then this: 4,2 seconds. It is not uncommon for the Red Bull crew to change the four wheels in under two seconds. The Mercedes command post and Hamilton knew that this could be the decisive phase of the race. The fact that Nikita Masepin once again attracted negative attention and Hamilton with blue flags - a sign of letting a competitor overtake - even prompted team boss Toto Wolff to make an announcement to the race management. The Mercedes tactic is working Even a 2,7-second tire change didn't have the desired effect from Mercedes' perspective. Hamilton stayed behind Verstappen, but reduced the gap. One mistake by Verstappen and the 36-year-old Brit would be back in front. The Red Bull hopeful made no mistakes, but complained about the tires. When Hamilton was almost there, the Brit turned towards the pits. Back on track, rie f he achieves top times like a robot in his black-painted Silver Arrow.

Red Bull took a chance and left Verstappen outside: one-stop strategy. Around 21 seconds ahead with a good 20 laps left. The Hamilton hunt was on. Once again, the record-breaking driver in the premier class was in a league of his own. Sometimes he made up two seconds in one lap. “I won't have any tires left at the end of the race,” he said, given the aggressive strategy. With Verstappen it will be even less, came the answer from the command post. On the 60th lap, the Dutchman had to let Hamilton overtake him; the decision had been made to get at least one additional point, he had the soft tires fitted again. The result of the Grand Prix in Barcelona:

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Cool and clever: Hamilton beats Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton fended off Max Verstappen's next attack with a tactical masterpiece and great driving skills. Ferrari, on the other hand, missed the podium again.

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