Spain – Race: Hamilton wins ahead of Vettel

It’s ideal weather at the Barcelona circuit, waiting for the different drivers at the start of this Spanish Grand Prix. However, the wind is still present and will blow head-on into the drivers on the starting straight.

At the start, Sebastian Vettel gains an advantage over Lewis Hamilton while Kimi Räikkönen finds himself trapped between Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver slightly touches the rear wheel of his compatriot, sending him into the Red Bull driver, causing both men to retire. Another contact occurs between Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa: the latter suffers a puncture, while the Spaniard drops to 11th position after going through the gravel in turn 3.

At the end of the first lap, Sebastian Vettel has a two-second lead over Lewis Hamilton, while Max Verstappen brings his car back to the pits to retire. Carlos Sainz pushes hard to catch up with Kevin Magnussen and attempts an overtake in turn 3, but the Dane skillfully blocks his opponent, allowing Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso to move up to eighth place.

The gap between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton stabilizes around two and a half seconds, while Valtteri Bottas is completely dropped back, already 8 seconds behind by the end of the seventh lap. Daniel Ricciardo finds himself alone in 4th position, with no real chance of catching the Finn, and well ahead of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, the two Force India drivers in 5th and 6th positions. Behind them, Nico Hülkenberg also has a cushion of lead over Kevin Magnussen.

After 10 laps, many drivers saw their positions change, thanks to the collision between Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen in particular.

GAINS AND LOSSES (LAP 6/66)

HUL = incredible

VER and RAI = OUT#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/P6uVeD9jpW

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 mai 2017

At Mercedes, misinformation is the norm: Lewis Hamilton is asked to push hard, but the Englishman doesn’t stop; they want to be as close to Sebastian Vettel as possible before heading to the pits. Unlike Fernando Alonso, who comes out on soft tires. Kevin Magnusen and Carlos Sainz head to the pits at the same time, and disaster is narrowly avoided, with both men emerging side by side, and Carlos Sainz ends up going onto the grass, which triggers an investigation by the stewards, ultimately with no consequences.

A few seconds later, it’s Sebastian Vettel’s turn to stop in the pits and come out behind Daniel Ricciardo, whom he easily passes, while Lewis Hamilton sets a lap record. The German is attacking like a madman, and almost takes back 2 seconds from the Englishman in one lap.

On the 20th lap, a battle breaks out between Joylon Palmer and Stoffel Vandorme for 16th place, with the Renault driver dangerously zigzagging before being overtaken by the Belgian. Pascal Wehrlein, with his Sauber, is in 5th place due to pit stop strategies. Lewis Hamilton finally pits on the 22nd lap and puts on the medium tires! The Brit returns to the track far behind Sebastian Vettel, who has already fitted soft tires a few laps earlier. The German catches up rapidly to Valterri Bottas, overtaking him only after three laps in his slipstream, with a very risky maneuver at the first corner. The Ferrari driver thus loses four seconds to Lewis Hamilton, who easily overtakes his teammate. The Finn will pit on the following lap.

The strategic battle is raging, Sebastian Vettel is on the attack with soft tires and begins to widen the gap on Lewis Hamilton, who is on medium tires; the end of the race will be exciting!

At the 30th lap, the gap continues to widen between the two leaders, who are now dealing with the backmarkers. A slight advantage as a result for the Ferrari driver, equipped with soft tires. However, he will have to switch to medium tires at the end of the race, while the Mercedes driver is reminded that he will have soft tires. Fernando Alonso is the first driver to make a second pit stop and goes out on medium tires halfway through the race. In the middle of the pack, Romain Grosjean is closing in on Carlos Sainz for tenth place, while Lewis Hamilton is hindered in a fast corner by a Sauber, costing him a few tenths of a second. Meanwhile, at the back of the pack, Stoffel Vandoorne attempts an overtake on Felipe Massa, but the Belgian turns directly onto the Brazilian, breaking his right front suspension arm, which sends him into the gravel at the first corner, forcing him to retire. The Virtual Safety Car is deployed, prompting several drivers to pit, including Pascal Wehrlein, who makes his first stop. A smart strategy from Sauber.

At Mercedes, they set up in the pits and Lewis Hamilton comes in… just as the virtual safety car ends. The Brit resumes on softs, with another 30 laps to go. Sebastian Vettel switches to medium tires on the next lap, and after a fierce battle in the first corner, the German emerges in the lead as Lewis Hamilton runs slightly off track: the drivers made contact. The Ferrari is on medium tires, the Mercedes on softs: the drivers are wheel to wheel, and the direct battle begins.

LAP 38/66: 😱 What a moment! VET and HAM touch at Turn 1 as German returns to track after pitting #SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/g2meTYc8sy

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 mai 2017

On the 40th lap, Valterri Bottas comes to a halt in the second sector, with part of his car in flames. His engine apparently could not withstand after this fifth Grand Prix.

The two leading drivers are catching up with the backmarkers, which doesn’t prevent the two drivers from staying glued together. The English driver has permission to use the maximum power mode of his engine, while Sebastian Vettel takes advantage of the DRS to get past the backmarker in front of him.

In the middle of the pack, Carlos Sainz is battling with Pascal Wehrlein, who holds an incredible seventh place in his Sauber, but the German is penalized by 5 seconds for an incorrect entry into the pit lane: this would place him 10th for now. Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, is fifty seconds behind the leaders, yet he is on the temporary podium.

After setting the fastest lap, Lewis Hamilton manages to overtake Sebastian Vettel by utilizing his engine at 100% and the DRS on the straight. The Mercedes driver begins to widen the gap instantly so he can make another pit stop before the end of the race; his tires are not expected to last until the finish. Behind these two drivers, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, and Nico Hülkenberg are comfortably settled in the top 6. After a few laps of attack, Lewis Hamilton’s rear tires are on the verge of overheating, forcing him to gradually slow down, allowing the Ferrari driver to close back to 1.5 seconds.

On the 50th lap, Lewis Hamilton decides to take the bull by the horns and starts attacking again: the gap widens once more, while there’s talk of a plan C for Ferrari: a third pit stop? After a few laps, the gap has increased to 4 seconds, with neither driver deciding to stop. The die seems cast, while only Daniel Ricciardo remains on the lead lap… over a minute away from the two men.

Fernando Alonso makes a third pit stop to fit the soft tires, while Pascal Wehrlein clings to seventh place, gradually widening the gap to minimize his five-second penalty as much as possible.

At lap 60, Lance Stroll and Massa are battling for the thirteenth place, nearly two laps behind the leaders. The two are separated by four seconds, but Lewis Hamilton is on soft tires that are starting to wear significantly, even though Sebastian Vettel’s lap times on medium tires are slightly slower. In the Williams lap, Fernando Alonso overtakes the Brazilian with the help of his new soft tires, then passes Lance Stroll. The Spaniard is 13th, fourteen seconds behind Marcus Ericsson.

Three laps before the finish, the gap is stabilized at 4 seconds between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, equivalent to the time lost by the German behind Valtteri Bottas. Great team work from Mercedes, which will benefit them in both championships. The Briton takes advantage of the end of the race to set the fastest lap on track, while Felipe Massa overtakes his teammate.

With two laps to go, Romain Grosjean overtakes Kevin Magnussen for tenth place, the Dane suffering a puncture following contact with Danill Kvyat.

In the final lap, Lewis Hamilton calmly finishes the race ahead of Sebastian Vettel, while Daniel Ricciardo secures the last podium spot, far behind the leaders. Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon follow in the standings, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg. Pascal Wehrlein, in his Sauber, manages the feat of scoring his team’s first points, while Fernando Alonso finishes the race outside the points.

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (LAP 66/66): @LewisHamilton's day #SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/gTZZlzPqp4

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 mai 2017

After an intense race… handshakes 👊 #SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/LFvjL48NyA

— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 mai 2017