Lewis Hamilton is often at his most dangerous when questions are being asked.
Mercedes arrived in Barcelona fretting that tyre problems in the Spanish heat would again let in Max Verstappen, who had exposed a chink in world champions’ armour by winning in Britain a week before.
Instead, Hamilton was as imperious as he has been for most of a season delayed by the coronavirus crisis. Even with the number of races this season still unclear, the defending champion looks well set to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles this year.
It was his fourth win of the year and his fourth straight win in Spain. The Briton also sealed a record 156th podium in his 256th race.
“At the moment I have to say he drives in a league of his own,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
His second driver Valtteri Bottas started second behind Hamilton on the grid but a terrible start knocked him down to fifth initially, although he recovered to finish third. Nevertheless, the difference between the two Mercedes drivers is clear for all to see.
Hamilton has developed into a expert tactician not just a great driver. Verstappen complained early on in Barcelona that Hamilton was driving “super slow.” It was all a ploy and worked perfectly for Hamilton, who eventually won by 24 seconds.
“We didn’t know how quick the Red Bulls were so I tried to get a measure of Max while the tyres evened out early on. I think tyre management was the difference in the end,” Hamilton told Sky.
“It is a lot closer than people think in the driver standings. But I was just in such a different headspace in the car it was a beautiful feeling, better than I have had in a long time.”
Ominous words for anyone hoping to steal the 35-year-old’s crown.
Red Bull’s Verstappen looks like he is going to be Hamilton’s only rival. The 22-year-old Dutchman will surely win a world title at some point but Hamilton already leads by 37 points this season.
“We keep trying to improve but (Mercedes) keep pushing, so we’ll see,” Verstappen said.
Hamilton now has the rarity of the week off in the jam-packed F1 calendar, which has been radically rearranged because of the global pandemic. The season resumes with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on August 30.
In normal years Spa would be rammed with orange-clad Dutch fans who had nipped over the border to roar on Verstappen, who was born in Belgium anyway.
But this year the stands for the seventh round of the championship will be empty, handing Hamilton a mini-advantage on a track where he has not won since 2017.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won for the first time in Belgium last season but a repeat is highly unlikely with the man from Monaco being the only driver to retire in Spain after electrical issues with his engine.
Mercedes had no such problems and Hamilton’s dominance is of course built on the team’s ultra reliable and powerful car. But it still takes a special person to lead it to so many victories, with Hamilton now just three behind Schumacher’s record of 91 wins.
SOURCE
GNA