BARCELONA: Lewis Hamilton claimed his fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a Mercedes pit-stop masterstroke.
Hamilton moved on to 98 career wins after a surprise second change of tires hoodwinked Red Bull to lift him 14 points clear of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.
“It was a really great strategy by the team. What a day!” beamed Hamilton, who was quick to acknowledge the smattering of fans allowed in to watch, a rare occurence in the time of coronavirus.
“It is great to see. I saw a British flag out there which I haven’t seen for a long, long time. I feel great after this. I feel like I could go again.”
Hamilton had set off from pole for the 100th time but was beaten to the first corner by Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc for Ferrari dishing out the same treatment on Valtteri Bottas on turn two.
On lap eight Yuki Tsunoda’s Sunday drive in Catalonia suffered a premature end when his AlphaTauri came to a grinding halt.
“Engine stop” the Japanese rookie lamented as the safety car emerged briefly to remove the immobile obstacle.
Verstappen held off Hamilton comfortably on the restart on lap 11, with Leclerc continuing to split the two Mercedes.
With a third of the race completed the first round of pit stops began, with all eyes on which of the front two with less than a second between them would blink first.
Verstappen it was who came in on lap 25, but the pit stop was slow by a couple of seconds in another minor but potentially critical error by the Red Bull title pretenders.
The Mercedes pit wall pulled Hamilton in for a lightning stop a few laps later as they pinned their hopes on fresher medium tires making the difference toward the finish.
At the midway point Hamilton set the fastest lap to go less than two and a half seconds behind his Dutch rival. The gap was less than a second shortly after.
On lap 43 Mercedes played their ace card.
Hamilton, half a second off the lead, came into the pits for a second new set of mediums.
He reemerged with under 23sec to make up on Verstappen, who with tire wear was in danger of becoming what he would describe afterwards as “a sitting duck” for the man in pursuit of a record eighth drivers’ title.
Hamilton asked his pit wall: “How far have I got to catch up?“
“Currently 22 seconds... we’ve done it before...” came back the reply.
There was a note of desperation on Red Bull’s radio with Verstappen suggesting “I don’t know how we are going to make it to the end.”
Hamilton moved into second but there was no hint of team orders with Bottas forcing his teammate into full overtaking mode.
Ten laps to go and Hamilton had only three seconds to make up on Verstappen and on lap 60 he did it, surging past the Dutchman on turn one — Toto Wolff, his team boss, punching the air with delight as their masterstroke paid off.
Hamilton said he was in two minds as to whether to obey the order to come in.
“I was about to get a shot to get past him as I pitted. I was really conflicted — ‘do I come in or ignore the call?’.
“I did what the team asked because there is a great trust between us. Remarkable job by everyone in this team. What a day.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was magnanimous in defeat, saying: “In fairness, hats off to Mercedes and Lewis.”
Verstappen said: “We’re not where we want to be and we still need to push hard and catch up because at the moment we are a little bit slower. But compared to last year, it has been a jump for us.”
Bottas took third in the second Mercedes with Leclerc’s Ferrari in fourth and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull completing the top five.
Formula One takes a breather next weekend before returning for the Monaco Grand Prix with Hamilton possibly having a tilt at his century of wins in Azerbaijan at the start of June.
Mercedes masterstroke in Spain helps Hamilton deny Verstappen
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Mercedes masterstroke in Spain helps Hamilton deny Verstappen
- Hamilton moved on to 98 career wins after a surprise second change of tires hoodwinked Red Bull to lift him 14 points clear of Verstappen
- Bottas took third in the second Mercedes with Leclerc’s Ferrari in fourth and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull completing the top five
Century from Andries Gous powers Desert Vipers into ILT20 final
- His is first player from an associate nation to score a century in tournament history, and his 157-run partnership with Fakhar Zaman sets ILT20 opening-stand record
- Debutant Usman Tariq leads the charge with the ball, bagging three crucial wickets to help seal the victory
ABU DHABI: An unbeaten century from Andries Gous propelled Desert Vipers into the final of the International League T20 with a commanding 45-run victory over MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
His remarkable 120 not out spearheaded a clinical, all-round display as the Vipers secured a place in their third final in four seasons.
Gous and Fakhar Zaman, who hit a fluent 69 off 50 balls, laid the foundation for an imposing Vipers total as they stitched together a record-breaking 157-run partnership, the highest opening stand in the four-season history of the DP World ILT20.
Debutant Usman Tariq was then the star with the ball, claiming three wickets to derail the chase by MI Emirates.
Sent in to bat first, the Vipers got off to a measured start before accelerating the pace sharply. After a watchful opening, Gous let loose in the fifth over, smashing Romario Shepherd for two sixes and a four in a 20-run burst. He reached his half-century from just 29 balls, including three fours and three sixes, as the opening stand raced past 100 runs in only 65 deliveries.
Fakhar, who similarly began steadily, also shifted gears in the middle overs, reaching his 50 from 36 balls after targeting Kieron Pollard.
The opening pair were finding the boundary with ease and pushed their combined total beyond 150 before Fakhar was finally dismissed in the 16th over by Allah Ghazanfar. Sam Curran then joined Gous to provide a blistering finish.
Gous completed his century, the first of the season and the first by a player from an associate nation in the history of the ILT20, from 53 balls. Curran, meanwhile, smashed an unbeaten 38 off just 12 balls, including 20 runs in the final over, as the Vipers surged to a season-high 233 for the loss of a single wicket.
Gous finished the day with seven fours and nine sixes, and registered the highest individual score in the history of the tournament.
Chasing a daunting target, MI Emirates began brightly enough through Mohammed Waseem, who struck 41 off 32 balls, and Tom Banton. They ensured the powerplay was a positive spell, reaching 53 for one. Banton quickly took charge, hammering 18 runs off Curran in the ninth over on his way to a 21-ball half-century.
However, the momentum shifted decisively when Naseem Shah removed Waseem in the 11th over. Tariq then struck twice in two deliveries in the 12th, dismissing Banton for a valiant 63 off 27 balls, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi for a duck. The debutant added the wicket of Pollard soon after, finishing with three for 33 and swinging the contest firmly in the Vipers’ favor.
David Payne chipped in by removing Dan Mousley, and although Romario Shepherd contributed an unbeaten 39 late in the innings, including a costly 18th over off Curran, MI Emirates were restricted to 188 for seven, far short of what was required.
On Friday they will have a second chance to reach the final when they take on the winners of an eliminator, to be played on Thursday, between Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals. The final will take place on Sunday.
Player of the match Gous said his performance was one he will not forget.
“It was a really special moment for me,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities to score a hundred, so I truly cherished it.
“After the sixth over we knew handling the wind would be key, and Fakhar batted superbly, which made my job a lot easier.
“Post-powerplay, we were thinking in terms of 190 to 200 but then Sam played an unbelievable innings that pushed us all the way to 230.”
MI Emirates captain Pollard admitted the big target set by the Vipers proved decisive.
“Chasing 233 was always going to be a stiff challenge,” he said. “Losing by 45 runs is a big margin in T20 cricket but I felt we conceded about 10 to 15 runs too many on what was a very good pitch.
“One loss isn’t the end of the road; we still have another chance.”
