Lewis Hamilton took his second win of the 2017 season in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, closing in on Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead.
The battle between Mercedes and Ferrari for the top step on the Formula One podium raged into another race weekend, with the championship returning home to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix. Following up on a strong run in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton took his second win of 2017, holding off Sebastian Vettel for the victory.
Despite Vettel charging ahead on the opening lap of the race, Hamilton would take advantage of a split in strategy to work his way back out front. Vettel worked the race under a three-stop strategy, while Hamilton endeavored to complete it in two. The 2015 champion also took advantage of a virtual safety car when teammate Valtteri Bottas stopped on course to help him secure the victory in Barcelona.
Bottas was not the only driver to find problems in Spain. Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen saw their days end on the opening lap after contact led to mechanical failures. Meanwhile, the Williams Racing team of Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll seemed off the pace all race long, failing to finish inside the points. Finally, with just two laps to go, Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen had a tire puncture while running inside the top ten.
Though these drivers found problems, others saw greater fortunes for the first time this season. Force India brought their cars home 4th and 5th on the day, with Sergio Perez extending his consecutive points streak. Daniel Ricciardo earned his first podium finish of 2017, finishing third in his Red Bull car. Finally, Fernando Alonso of McLaren-Honda completed his first race of 2017, after engine woes kept him from the finish of all the other Grands Prix this season.
Here are the full results from the F1 Spanish Grand Prix:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Daniel Ricciardo, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
- Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Force India
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Renault Sport
- Pascal Wehrlein, Ferrari, Sauber
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Daniil Kvyat, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
- Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
- Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Kevin Magnussen, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, Renault Sport
- Lance Stroll, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Stoffel Vandoorne, Honda, McLaren
- Max Verstappen, Tag Heuer, Red Bull Racing
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
Must Read: What to Watch for in the Month of May
The next race for the Formula One world championship comes in two weeks time from the tiny principality of Monaco. It is the crowned jewel race of the F1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix. Watch the race live on Sunday, May 28 live on your local NBC station.