I was in a daze, I did not know it was the last lap
LEWIS IN ZONE TO DESTROY RIVALS
AS DOMINANT victories go, this one was right up there in Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable collection.
From the moment he breezed off the line from pole at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, there was no stopping the Briton from romping to his 88th triumph.
The Mercedes star led every lap and took the chequered flag a mighty 24.1 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas in third.
He even lapped the entire field up to third and this lights-toflag procession saw him move to a 37-point lead over Red Bull’s Verstappen in the title standings.
It was the perfect response from the Silver Arrows and their superstar, having endured an out-of-sorts showing at Silverstone last weekend to lose their winning start to the season.
And the triumphant Hamilton enjoyed himself so much, he did not realise the race had reached its conclusion.
“I was in a daze out there,” Hamilton said.
“It felt really good. It was a fantastic effort from the team.
“It was a surprise because we had that problem with the tyres last weekend, but we seem to have understood it.
“Oh God it felt good. I didn’t know it was the last lap. That is how zoned-in
I was. I was ready to keep going.”
A seventh world championship is now in his sights, which will draw him level with Michael Schumacher at the top of F1’s record books.
And Hamilton is now also just four wins away from usurping the Ferrari great as F1’s most successful race winner.
It is now a matter of when, and not if, the six-time champion achieves that extraordinary feat. He could match the German at Ferrari’s 1,000th grand prix in Mugello, Italy next month.
The 35-year-old has plenty of F1 records already, including the most pole positions, and he clinched another yesterday as his rivals were unable to turn up the heat in sweltering conditions.
He has now secured more podium finishes than any other driver in the sport’s history, celebrating for the 156th time to move one clear of Schumacher. The reigning champion will not get many easier afternoons than this one, winning a grand prix in the 30-degree heat which was largely forgettable and without any incidents.
Indeed, Hamilton’s supremacy saw him lap every driver apart from Verstappen and Bottas, who stole the fastest lap from his Mercedes team-mate after a late stop for fresh tyres.