Lewis Hamilton defeated Max Verstappen to win the 2021 Spanish GP as well-calculated strategy from Mercedes allowed the seven-time world champion to pull off a late-race move on his Red Bull Racing rival. This is Hamilton’s third win out of four races, and his 98th career victory.
Verstappen led the majority of the race after brilliantly snatching the lead from Hamilton into Turn 1 at the start, with Red Bull then committing to a one-stop strategy around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as Hamilton opted for two.
But with six laps to go, Hamilton used the superior performance of his newer tyres to pass the Dutchman into Turn 1 and check out for his 98th victory, and fifth straight win at the circuit – Verstappen ultimately deciding to pit for softs once Hamilton was past and go for a consolation fastest lap, which he duly got.
Hamilton now moves 14 points clear of Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, thanks to his Spanish GP win. The battle between the two will now move to Monaco, as F1 returns to the venue for the first time in two years on May 20-23.