Lewis Hamilton leads fifth successive Mercedes one-two and other talking points from Spanish GP

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  • Lewis Hamilton is back in charge of the world championship after a superb start fired him to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

    Hamilton was handed a rare thrashing by Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday, but the British star returned to his notorious best, winning at a canter.

    Hamilton, who also scored a bonus point for the fastest lap, now leads Bottas by seven points in the title race.

    Ferrari’s disappointing campaign continued as confusion reigned over their strategy with both drivers losing out to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third.

    Vettel crossed the line in fourth, with team-mate Charles Leclerc fifth.

    Here are our key talking points from the race.

    HAMILTON ROARS BACK

    It feels like repetition every race week but Mercedes are simply the superior team and not even a team of Ferrari’s calibre are able to challenge them at the moment.

    One of the men at the centre of their success is Hamilton who sealed his third win of the season to add to his two other second place finishes in Melbourne and Baku.

    Starting from second, he produced a lightning start to outpace Bottas before turn one and maintained his lead until the end of the race.

    Around Circuit de Catalunya, the 34-year-old looked comfortable and did not encounter any difficulty, finishing three seconds ahead of the Finn.

    With 16 races remaining in the season, the pendulum is no doubt going to swing in opposite directions, but the Stevenage man has always proved he can come out on top when the pressure is on.

    POSITIVE FINISH FOR BOTTAS

    Starting on pole for a third successive time, Bottas didn’t look a patch on his Mercedes team-mate despite being fastest all weekend.

    The 29-year-old was expected to clinch a third win of the season but a combination of a slow start and general lack of consistent pace saw him finish behind Hamilton and deservedly so. But, in truth, he could have been further behind, only for a safety car late on.

    Still, it’s a positive start to the season for Bottas who has won twice and clinched four second place finishes – and sits second in the drivers championship.

    DRIVER OF THE YEAR SO FAR?

    Verstappen has been pushing his Red Bull to the absolute max and clinched his second podium of the season in Barcelona.

    The Dutchman managed to put himself between Vettel and Leclerc on the starting grid in P4, and soared past Vettel early into third.

    The 21-year-old proved his mettle throughout the race, staying calm and pushing hard when Vettel tried to claw back his lead late in the race.

    With his teammate Pierre Gasly finishing sixth, the package appears tasty and Sunday’s results will only add to Red Bull’s prospects to compete on both drivers and constructors championship fronts for the rest of the season.

    FUMBLING FERRARI

    Tough times at Ferrari.

    Vettel looked slow on pace from the opening lap and Leclerc was allowed to swap places with the German on lap 13.

    And just as Leclerc pushed Verstappen for third spot midway through the race, the Scuderia decided to put the Monaco man on the hard tires and Vettel on the mediums, essentially ruining his race.

    One would be forgiven for thinking the Italian marque were trying to sabotage his race again, as he came out of the pits slow on pace and confidence.

    Vettel and Leclerc went on to finish fourth and fifth respectively, but the strategy at the Prancing Horse is simply too poor and the pit stops too slow.

    No wonder their title hopes are over after five races.

    HAAS SHINE

    It was notable to see the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean finish in the top 10 for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.

    Magnussen secured his second top-10 of the season, while Grosjean sailed home in tenth after holding off the strong efforts of Alexander Albon late on.

    It proved to be a successful day for Guenther Steiner and Co., but their results need to stay consistent after a poor campaign to date, where Grosjean has retired three times and Magnussen finishing 13th on three occasions.

    SAINZ ON HOME SOIL

    A solid afternoon for the Madrid man.

    Racing in front of his home fans, Sainz shone in his McLaren and finished tenth – his second points finish this season after picking up six in Baku.

    In contrast, his team-mate Lando Norris crashed out on lap 46 after a collision with Lance Stroll.

    Expect this to be a close battle for the rest of the season.

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