HAMILTON FINISHES FIFTH IN SPANISH GRAND PRIX
MAX Verstappen leads the world championship after romping to victory at a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver took advantage of Charles Leclerc’s mechanical failure on lap 27 of 66 to deliver his third win in as many races.
Sergio Perez completed a one-two finish for Red Bull as George Russell secured third, following another fine performance from the young Briton, with Carlos Sainz fourth.
Lewis Hamilton dropped from sixth to last, but one after an opening-lap collision with Kevin Magnussen.
But the seven-time world champion delivered an impressive comeback to charge his way through the field to fifth - robbed of fourth when he was told to “lift and coast”, presumably to save fuel in the closing stages, and Sainz made his way back past.
At a sweltering Circuit de Catalunya on the outskirts of Barcelona, pole-sitter Leclerc raced away from his marks to leave Verstappen in his wake.
The drama then unfolded behind the championship protagonists.
Russell, from fourth on the grid, fought his way past a slow-starting Sainz before the Spaniard tagged Perez, the Mexican making contact with Russell’s Mercedes.
All three escaped without damage, but the same could not be said for Hamilton.
As the seven-time world champion attempted to hold off Magnussen through the righthander Turn 4 the two made contact and both suffered punctures.
Magnussen’s Haas bounced across the gravel with Hamilton managing to keep his Mercedes on the asphalt before limping back to the pits for repairs.
Verstappen finished 13.072 secs clear of Perez to move six points clear of Leclerc in the championship race ahead of next Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Russell finished half a minute adrift with Sainz fourth and Hamilton fifth.