Lewis Hamilton had no problems with his tires this time as he coasted to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, extending his championship lead to 37 points and clinching an 88th career victory to move within three of Michael Schumacher's Formula One record.
The talk before the race was whether Mercedes' tires would be vulnerable in the searing summer heat of Spain, after experiencing problems in the past two races at Silverstone. But there were no such issues as Hamilton finished a sizeable 24 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen — who has eight podiums in the past nine races stretching back to last season.
Valtteri Bottas placed third to fall further behind second-place Verstappen in the standings.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car followed by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during the Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (Bryn Lennon, Pool via AP)
The winding 4.7-kilometer ( 2.9-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with its combination of slow and fast corners, is one of the hardest for overtaking.
After narrowly securing a record-extending 92nd career pole position Hamilton made a strong start on the long straight to the first corner. But Bottas was overtaken by Verstappen and the Racing Point of Lance Stroll — who jumped from fifth to third with a fine move on Bottas' right flank.
Track temperatures on the circuit were around 50 degrees C (122 F) and Mercedes was concerned about catching too much sun.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (Bryn Lennon, Pool via AP)
“These black overalls are hot,” Bottas said during the race, throwing in an expletive for emphasis.
It was another miserable day for struggling Ferrari, with Sebastian Vettel seventh and Charles Leclerc abandoning after his engine cut out on track.
“I don’t know why the car switched off completely,” Leclerc said.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, left, welcomes Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany prior to the Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (Albert Gea, Pool via AP)
He crawled into the pits but the mechanics seemed at a loss to figure out what was wrong and his race was over on lap 41.
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Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (Bryn Lennon, Pool via AP)