How Red Bull’s deja vu set Hamilton on the winning path in Spain

An aggressive first corner move from Max Verstappen appeared to have set the Red Bull driver on course for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. But canny strategy from Mercedes - combined with the absence of Red Bull's number two from the lead group - allowed Lewis Hamilton to pull off a demoralising reversal

Author Alex Kalinauckas

Updated May 10, 2021, 11:54 AM

“It could be Hungary all over again here.”

Gianpiero Lambiase called it painfully perfectly as Lewis Hamilton peeled off from behind his charge – Max Verstappen – to pit for a second time with a third of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix remaining.

In that moment, Red Bull realised Mercedes had set the board in horribly familiar fashion – sending Hamilton on a late-race charge with a tyre-life offset advantage to win the encounter in much the same way he had done at the Hungaroring in 2019.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.