FIZZING AGAIN
Hamilton second as Merc duo both make the podium... and finally give Red Bull something to worry about
BY
LEWIS HAMILTON believes his Mercedes team can catch Max Verstappen after “the strongest team” scored a double podium finish.
The Dutch national anthem rang out for the fifth time this season after Verstappen’s lights-to-flag Spanish Grand Prix victory extended his championship lead to 53 points.
But it was the Brit pair of Hamilton and George Russell who had the biggest smiles on the podium.
And despite winning 103 Grand Prix and seven world titles, it was clear how much second place in Barcelona meant to 38-year-old Hamilton, who fist-pumped as he crossed the line after 66 laps.
“Mega job, guys!” he shouted over the radio. “Mega job. Let’s keep pushing!”
The result confirmed that the upgrades Mercedes had brought to Monaco last weekend, after a disappointing start to the season, had the right impact on the fast, sweeping Catalunya circuit.
Hamilton came from fourth on the grid to take a comfortable second, 24 seconds behind Verstappen, while Russell’s bold overtaking moves, particularly after the start – where he passed five cars, including the Red Bull of Sergio Perez from 12th on the grid – scored his first podium of the season in third.
Hamilton added: “As long as I’ve been racing here if you are quick, you should be good elsewhere.
“We have the strongest team. George and I are punching out great results weekend in, weekend out, so now we need to pick up the performance a little bit more which I know everyone is working hard to do and hopefully, at some stage, we can catch these Red Bulls.” And Russell was delighted with his result after a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday.
He said. “It’s proof you need to keep on believing.
“I went out there and ticked all the boxes, the car was fast, good overtakes, and it was a really enjoyable race.”
Team boss Toto Wolff said: “We are much closer, but you can see where the benchmark is. There is such a long way to go to catch Red Bull – but we just need to grind away.”