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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mercedes restores order at top of Formula One with Lewis Hamilton’s win in Spain

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the Spanish Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Sunday, May 13, 2018. (Emilio Morenatti / Associated Press)
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain – Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are not done just yet.

Hamilton put in a dominant performance at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, winning with ease and showing Ferrari that Mercedes remains the team to beat in Formula One.

Hamilton’s strong run helped Mercedes re-establish order at the top of the field after seeing Ferrari dominate most of the early season.

“This is more like it,” Hamilton said on the team radio. “Let’s keep this up.”

Valtteri Bottas secured a one-two for Mercedes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, while Max Verstappen completed the podium despite finishing the race with a broken front wing on his Red Bull.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who now trails Hamilton by 17 points in the drivers’ standings, was only fourth after a change in strategy didn’t pay off.

It was the first one-two of the season for Mercedes, which had struggled to keep pace with the Ferraris.

“Today, the car and myself, I felt that synergy which I hadn’t been feeling for the whole year,” Hamilton said. “It’s a good feeling.”

Hamilton was never challenged on the way to his 41st win from pole position, surpassing a record he shared with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. It was Hamilton’s 64th career win, leaving him 27 behind Schumacher’s record of 91 victories.