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16 August 2020Started from pole position, Lewis Hamilton dominates the Spanish GP with a race all in the lead. On the Montmelò circuit, sixth round of the World Championship, the reigning champion and leader of the standings flies with his Mercedes to the eighty-eighth success of his incredible six-time world champion career, consolidating his leadership. In second place the Red Bull of Max Verstappen (at 24 ”177), good at the start to fit between the two Mercedes started from the front row. Third (at 44 ”752) is the other silver arrow by Valtteri Bottas, author of the fastest lap. All dubbed the other drivers.

In the world rankings, Hamilton leads with 132 points, followed by Verstappen with 95 and Bottas with 88.

The Racing points of the Mexican Perez and the Canadian Stroll, fourth and fifth respectively, also scored points; sixth the Spanish Sainz on McLaren, seventh Sebastian Vettel with the surviving Ferrari, eighth the Thai Albon with the other Red Bull, the French Gasly ninth with the Alpha Tauri and the British Norris tenth with the second McLaren.                             

Ferrari regrets the retirement of Charles Leclerc (ninth time and fifth row) after a spin. "Everything went out - explains the Monegasque -, not only the engine but also the light: at that point the tires came off, and I stopped. Then I started again, but at that point I was twentieth ... too bad. race says the same thing about the last GP: we are not strong enough. On this track the whole package must be good, and we don't have it. "

At the start Verstappen and Stroll fit between the two Mercedes, but on lap 5 Bottas overtakes Stroll. On lap 11 Hamilton "rips" and takes off. At the 22nd round Verstappen's pit stop who puts on yellow tires. On lap 24 it's up to the Mercedes. At the 31st tire change for Ferraris: average for Leclerc, red for Vettel. The Monegasque tries to recover positions but is in traffic. The leading trio is now competing for itself. On lap 38 Leclerc spun, the engine packs up and after two laps the Ferrari driver returned to the pits. Verstappen makes the second stop at the 42nd lap. On lap 45 Vettel suffers the humiliation of the dubbing by Hamilton. There are two races at Montmelò: the three leading players are ready to double the 4th. Bottas stops on lap 49, Hamilton on lap 51, when the Briton has a 30 ”lead over Verstappen. Perez is penalized 5 ”for ignoring the blue flags. Vettel renounces the second stop, but suffers the overtaking of Stroll and Sainz.

A World Cup marked by the pandemic, which so far had seen the inaugural victory of Bottas, then three of Hamilton, and one of Verstappen last weekend. Now a week off, then Formula 1 returns at the end of the month with the Belgian GP in Spa on August 30th.