By: Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief Motorsport.com
Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix was like a remake of the 2019 Hungarian GP – as Lewis Hamilton starred again by unleashing the full fury of his Mercedes’ pace to blow away long-time leader Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
You could sense an inevitability in Verstappen’s voice over the radio as he realised he’d be a “sitting duck” on well-worn tyres as Hamilton overcame a 23-second deficit with six laps to spare. It capped a brilliant weekend for Hamilton, who achieved the landmark of 100 F1 career poles on Saturday, and he should become F1’s first-ever centurion winner any time soon.
Verstappen only had fresh soft tyres at his disposal as the endgame unfolded – could he have stopped earlier, and tried to beat Hamilton at his own game? I don’t know if Red Bull considered it, as it was focusing on Max's on-the-road lead as Lewis chased, but I know for certain that Mercedes would have analysed it, and probably had a counter plan… |
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Editor's Choice
10 things we learned from F1's 2021 Spanish GP
Amid echoes of the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes snookered Red Bull on strategy to deliver Lewis Hamilton victory in the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. We assess the weekend's major talking points, as a 2020 heavy-hitter endured another weekend to forget and a much-hyped rookie had a lesson in humility |
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