This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
On a rare day with fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lewis Hamilton claimed his fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix on May 9, 2021, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen after a Mercedes pit-stop masterstroke.
Hamilton moved on to 98 career wins after a surprise second change of tyres hoodwinked Red Bull to lift him 14 points clear of Verstappen in the drivers' standings.
Hamilton praised his team's strategy, saying, 'It was a really great strategy by the team. What a day!' He also acknowledged the presence of fans, adding, 'It is great to see. I saw a British flag out there which I haven’t seen for a long, long time. I feel great after this. I feel like I could go again.'
Hamilton had set off from pole for the 100th time but was beaten to the first corner by Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc for Ferrari dishing out the same treatment on Valtteri Bottas on turn two.
However, Mercedes' clever pit stop strategy paid off, with Hamilton reemerging with under 23 seconds to make up on Verstappen, who was in danger of becoming a 'sitting duck' due to tyre wear.
Hamilton asked his pit wall, 'How far have I got to catch up?' and was told, 'Currently 22 seconds… we’ve done it before…'
With Verstappen suggesting 'I don’t know how we are going to make it to the end' on Red Bull's radio, Hamilton moved into second and eventually overtook Verstappen on lap 60, securing the win.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was magnanimous in defeat, saying, 'In fairness, hats off to Mercedes and Lewis.'
Verstappen said, 'We’re not where we want to be and we still need to push hard and catch up because at the moment we are a little bit slower. But compared to last year, it has been a jump for us.'
