On Sunday, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya basked under sunlight which produced the sort of heat which can make some wither. That’s exactly what happened to Mercedes as George Russell had no response to Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari who, helped by a slice of Virtual Safety Car luck, romped to victory.
Russell started on pole and Hamilton, onthe front row with him on soft tyres, wasn’t able to challenge for the early lead. But as soon as he changed tyres it looked like he was in a different car. And from that moment on he had pace that no-one else on track could match.
It looked like it was going to be a battle of wills as much as strategies. Ferrari had committed to the three-stop from the start, as tyres melted on a steaming-hot track. Mercedes were more conservative and went for two changes of tyre, and on another day it might of work.
But Russell has had very little luck so far this year, and there was no change on that front. Shortly after his final stop, Hamilton inherited the lead but was given the golden opportunity to keep it when Fernando Alonso pulled over at the side of the track, ending what is possibly his final Barcelona race in F1 much earlier than he wanted, and prompting the appearance of the Virtual Safety Car.
That gave Ferrari the opportunity they needed, but it was the sort of the decision that they have messed up in the past. Would they throw it away again? Not this time. Hamilton was pulled in, the tyre change was good, and the seven-time world champion fed back out onto the track just in front of both Mercedes cars just as the VSC period came to its end. Perfect timing.
There was a small worry, as race control had noted a potential yellow flag infringement. Hamilton had been just behind Alonso, about to lap him, when the Spaniard pulled over. The stewards had a look into whether the Brit had slowed enough to observe the yellow flags, and were satisfied that he had. No further action, and no more obstacles to overcome.
All Hamilton had to do was keep Russell at arm’s length, but didn’t have to work too hard to do that. Mercedes did not have the pace to respond. And it looked as though Kimi Antonelli would rub salt into Russell’s wounds when the young Italian swept past, until shortly afterwards when the teenager pulled over at the side of the track, having suffered what looked like an engine failure.
It briefly threatened Hamilton’s supremacy, but it soon became clear that the VSC was not going to turn into a full safety car as the marshals were able to wheel the stricken Mercedes through a gap at the side of the track and onto a service road, out of harm’s way.
And so the path was clear for Lewis Hamilton to win a Grand Prix with Ferrari for the first time. It’s been coming: second place in each of his last two races and now top spot. He said after qualifying that he hoped this would be the time he could finally compete with the Mercedes cars for pace. Boy, could he.