Mercedes’ brilliant pit stop tactics led Lewis Hamilton to win the Spanish Grand Prix F1 in 2021. This is Hamilton’s 98th victory in his career. A brilliant pit stop strategy led him to excel from the main competitor this season, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who had to settle for second place.
Lewis Hamilton seemed to confirm his dominance this season. The British racer has successfully won three of the four 2021 Formula 1 series. Lewis Hamilton started the Spanish Grand Prix F1 race in 2021 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Sunday (9/5/2021) by being at the forefront. It was the 100 pole position in Hamilton’s Formula 1 career.
Previously, there had never been an F1 racer who was able to reach a collection of pole positions of up to three digits. However, on the first lap Hamilton immediately lost his status as a race leader. At Turn 1, the Mercedes Hamilton was overtaken by Red Bull mainstay, Max Verstappen. Until the race entered a third of the stages, to be precise on lap 22, Max Verstappen could continue to maintain his position as the leader.
Hamilton, who is stalking in second place, is about 1.1 seconds behind of Verstappen. The problem with the right tire made Hamilton’s car speed not so optimal. Hamilton briefly took over first place when Verstappen was stuck at the pit stop for a long time. The Red Bull team, who are usually the most dexterous at the pit stop, stuck the Verstappen car for about 4 seconds. However, Verstappen could soon follow.
When the race entered the half-way period, to be precise on lap 33 Verstappen was back in front. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) ran from two to five.
Mercedes then made a decision that made Max Verstappen anxious on lap 42. Hamilton was asked to pit a second time. He returned to use medium tires. A surprising decision considering that before the race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed that a series at the Spanish GP would only require one pit stop.
“I don’t know how we survived until the end of the race,” said Verstappen who expressed anxiety via radio conversation about the duo Mercedes who continued to stalk him. Verstappen’s worries became evident on lap 60. Hamilton, who continued to stick, finally returned to claim the first position. The condition of the fresh tires make Hamilton skyrocket.
The superiority over Verstappen was then successfully defended by the world champion seven times until the last round at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit. Verstappen also had to settle for being in second place on the podium with a difference of 15.8 seconds from Hamilton, even though he appeared dominant for most of the race.
The F1 GP Spain 2021 results:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
