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2021 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix: Round four wrap

A smart strategy from Mercedes gives Lewis Hamilton his 98th F1 career victory, while Danny Ric gets his strongest result of 2021.


Lewis Hamilton scored his 98th F1 career victory overnight at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The win was his sixth at the famous circuit – another record he now shares with Michael Schumacher.

While Max Verstappen had his elbows out from turn one getting the jump on Lewis for the lead, it was the smart play by Mercedes and their two-stop strategy which bagged them the win.

"Combination of a strategy, our communication was really on point – it was generally supposed to be a one-stop strategy so I was trying to extend that run. When I came in, a long way to catch up, it was a big gamble and I had to really execute it perfectly." said Lewis Hamilton.

Max wasn't able to keep up with the pace of Lewis once he made his second stop for fresh tyres, with the margin of victory by the end extending to 16 seconds – he settled for second and took home an extra point for fastest lap.

Valtteri Bottas finished third, while Charles Leclerc again had an impressive result finishing fourth in the Ferrari. It was Daniel Ricciardo's strongest result so far this season with a sixth, while his teammate Lando Norris finished outside the top five for the first time this season.

Sebastian Vettel was unable to get into the points yet again finishing 13th and Fernando Alonso finished a disappointing 17th in the Alpine-Renault at this home track. Yuki Tsunoda was the only DNF in the field with an engine issue, while Antonio Giovinazzi still managed a 15th even after enduring chaos in his pit-stop when they found a puncture and had to scramble for tyres.

Lewis Hamilton now goes into the fifth round of the season with a 14-point lead over Max Verstappen in the championship standings.

Results

PosDriverTeam
1.Lewis HamiltonMercedes-AMG
2.Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda
3.Valtteri BottasMercedes-AMG
4.Charles LeclercFerrari
5.Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing-Honda
6.Daniel RicciardoMcLaren-Mercedes
7.Carlos SainzFerrari
8.Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes
9.Esteban OconAlpine-Renault
10.Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri-Honda
11.Lance StrollAston Martin-Mercedes
12.Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari
13.Sebastian VettelAston Martin-Mercedes
14.George RussellWilliams-Mercedes
15.Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari
16.Nicholas LatifiWilliams-Mercedes
17.Fernando AlonsoAlpine-Renault
18.Mick SchumacherHaas-Ferrari
19.Nikita MazepinHaas-Ferrari

Did not finish: Yuki Tsunoda


2021 Driver Standings

PosDriverTeamPts
1.Lewis HamiltonMercedes-AMG94
2.Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda80
3.Valtteri BottasMercedes-AMG47
4.Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes41
5.Charles LeclercFerrari40
6.Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing-Honda32
7.Daniel RicciardoMcLaren-Mercedes24
8.Carlos SainzFerrari20
9.Esteban OconAlpine-Renault10
10.Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri-Honda8
11.Lance StrollAston Martin-Mercedes5
12.Fernando AlonsoAlpine-Renault5
13.Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri-Honda2
14.Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari0
15.Antonio GiovinazziAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari0
16.Sebastian VettelWilliams-Mercedes0
17.George RussellAston Martin-Mercedes0
18.Mick SchumacherHaas-Ferrari0
19.Nikita MazepinHaas-Ferrari0
20.Nicholas LatifiWilliams-Mercedes0

2021 Constructor Standings

PosTeamPts
1.Mercedes-AMG141
2.Red Bull Racing-Honda112
3.McLaren-Mercedes65
4.Ferrari60
5.Alpine-Renault15
6.AlphaTauri-Honda10
7.Aston Martin-Mercedes5
8.Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari0
9.Williams-Mercedes0
10.Haas-Ferrari0
Emma Notarfrancesco

Emma has been on our television screens for over a decade. Most of her time in the industry has been spent at racetracks reporting at major motorsport events in Australia - from TCR and Superbikes to Porsche Sprint Challenge and Supercars. Emma has also hosted various MotoGP and F1 events interviewing the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Jack Miller. Having previously presented on an automotive show, she made her move to the Drive family in 2020. Fiercely proud of her Italian heritage, Emma is a coffee loving, stylish-black wearing resident of Melbourne.

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