Hamilton made last minute changes to "redeem" himself in Spain

Hamilton started the race at Barcelona second on the grid after being comprehensively defeated by team-mate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying on Saturday.

He said he was unhappy with his car's balance over one lap but that it was better in race trim, which combined with some late changes before the start of the race allowed him to convert second on the grid into victory and the championship lead.

"The balance yesterday was a bit of a nightmare, but race pace has generally been quite good for me," said Hamilton.

"I've been really happy, comfortable, generally in the races.

"When we went out to do the laps to the grid I wasn't very happy with the balance still, so I had to make some changes.

"I had to alter my driving style a little bit, but it works well in the race scenario.

"I couldn't go into detail on why it doesn't work on a single lap, and that may take some time.

"Normally with tyres I'm pretty good but I think that's a weak area.

"It's not that I can't do it, I've just got to discover it. That's what I'll put some effort towards."

Hamilton said he needed to "redeem myself from a poor performance" in qualifying and that was his motivation heading into Turn 1 three-wide with Bottas and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

His defeat to Bottas in the previous race in Azerbaijan came after not being as aggressive as he could have been during the first two corners, but Hamilton said that was not a factor as he tried to pass Bottas at the start on this occasion.

"It's respectful and balanced, as we always are," he said. "The team has spoken a bit, Valtteri and I have spoken a bit, that we have the best pairing any team has.

"In terms of how respectful we are - a lot of drivers don't have that respect.

"I think today I was well and truly on the inside [at Turn 1]."

Hamilton said he had gained encouragement by watching the support races and seeing "both sides [of the grid] were quite equal".

His start, combined with Bottas complaining of a clutch problem, allowed him to lead home Mercedes' fifth one-two of the season.

"When the lights went out the initial start was good and it was quite close all the way down to Turn 1," Hamilton said.

"It was a great battle and a decisive moment.

"Once we were round Turn 1 I just had to keep my head down, focus on trying to deliver each lap.

"It was an incredible day for the team."