MERCEDES TAKES ANOTHER LEAD IN THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX
It is no secret that the Mercedes team have been leading the 2020 Grand Prix season, and was seen extending their lead again in this weekend’s race when Lewis Hamilton won after starting the race in pole position for the 150th time.
On Sunday, 16 August, racers took to the starting grid for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Lewis Hamilton maintained a near-perfect race, keoping the lead from pole position to record his fifth Spanish GP win and 88th overall victory.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen started third on the grid and managed to pull ahead of the sister Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez lost a place from fourth to fifth due to a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags, which allowed Racing Point's Lance Stroll to claim P4. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz claimed sixth position in front of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who benefitted from a late decision to switch him onto a one-stop strategy.
Red Bull’s Alex Albon had to switch early to a set of hards and ended in eighth, while AlphaTauri driver, Pierre Gasly, and the second McLaren driver, Lando Norris, took P9 and P10.
Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo started in P13 and was seen having strong race pace, crossing the finish line in 11th place, with Esteban Ocon following in 12th.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, however, did not have a pleasant race. He was the only driver to retire due to an electrical issue at the halfway point.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen had a fantastic start from 16th on the grid, passing the Alfa Romeo of Raikkonen and the Renault of Esteban Ocon.
Verstappen pushed to catch up with Hamilton but failed as Hamilton swept across the line 24-seconds up the road from Verstappen.
Romain Grosjean was classified 19th and last, as he executed a late defensive move – this time on Raikkonen – while a scrap with the sister Alfa of Giovinazzi saw Grosjean run off at Turn 1, damaging his car slightly.
Raikkonen managed to cross the line in 14th position, leading Magnussen in 15th, and team mate Giovinazzi in 16th.
Hamilton’s win managed to move him 37 points ahead of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, leading to Verstappen himself now six points ahead of Bottas.
Check out the race highlights here for all the action of the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix.