sport news Lewis Hamilton silenced critics with stunning recovery drive trends now

sport news Lewis Hamilton silenced critics with stunning recovery drive trends now
sport news Lewis Hamilton silenced critics with stunning recovery drive trends now

sport news Lewis Hamilton silenced critics with stunning recovery drive trends now

Typical of the 2022 Formula One season, the Spanish Grand Prix offered plenty of twists and turns during an entertaining race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

A race that looked like being dominated by Charles Leclerc was thrown open once the Ferrari driver was forced to retire, as both Red Bulls and the Mercedes of George Russell all went on to lead the race at some point in Barcelona.

Eventually Max Verstappen triumphed to top the world championship for the first time since winning the title in December, but there was plenty to take away from the sixth round of the season as Sportsmail looks at the things we learned from the Spanish Grand Prix. 

Red Bull celebrate their one-two finish at the Spanish Grand Prix in the paddock on the Sunday

Red Bull celebrate their one-two finish at the Spanish Grand Prix in the paddock on the Sunday

Lewis Hamilton can still produce the unthinkable

Luck has not been with Lewis Hamilton this season and it certainly wasn't with him again at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Qualifying sixth, the Brit made a decent enough start at Catalunya, before he was tagged on the opening lap by Kevin Magnussen's Haas.

While the seven-time champion managed to initially maintain his position on the track, the collision led to him picking up a left front puncture, forcing him to tour most of the lap slowly before pitting.

The lost time saw him not just drop to 19th, only ahead of Magnussen who had taken to the gravel after their collision, but well off the tail of the pack as he put on a new set of tyres.

Having then complained to the team that it was pointless carrying on, his team insisted for him to continue as there was still a chance of minor points for eighth.

Lewis Hamilton stormed from the back of the grid to come home in a highly credible fifth

Lewis Hamilton stormed from the back of the grid to come home in a highly credible fifth

But what followed was one of arguably the Brit's best drives.

He soon caught the back of the pack, and amid the drama at the front of the grid, somehow clawed his way up into sixth place.

Hamilton then passed former team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz, the latter driving a Ferrari that had the pace to win the race.

The 37-year-old then suffered even more bad luck when  a water leak forced him to slow in the last couple of laps, allowing Sainz to repass as he limped over the line in fifth.

It may not have been a headline result, but it was an astonishing comeback given there were no safety cars to take advantage of in making up the huge amount of time he lost on the opening lap. Give him a race winning car and Hamilton can still deliver the goods. 

Hamilton's performance in Barcelona was a reminder of the outstanding talent he still has

Hamilton's performance in Barcelona was a reminder of the outstanding talent he still has

Russell passes another test

George Russell can do little wrong in the Mercedes right now, and he capitalised fully once again at the weekend by gaining the final podium spot behind the Red Bulls.

Granted he had been leading the race at one point, but he never stood a chance of holding off both the Red Bulls in his inferior Mercedes.

The best he could do was frustrate them - and that's exactly what he did during the first part of the race.

George Russell (left) left Verstappen highly frustrated during the race in Barcelona

George Russell (left) left Verstappen highly frustrated during the race in Barcelona

After climbing to third, he soon moved into second behind Leclerc when Verstappen ran wide at turn four into the gravel. What followed was expert defensive driving from Russell who despite being under heavy pressure from the Dutchman managed to keep him behind lap-after-lap through a clever knack of strategically placing his car where he was most likely to be overtaken.

This included turn one, where even when he was eventually passed by Verstappen on the inside, he fought back at the next couple of corners to regain the position.

Verstappen's frustrations grew so much that he had to change strategy to make use of his faster car, by instead passing him through the pit-stop phases.

It's another ribbon to the bow of the Brit who has been one of the stars of the season so far with six consecutive top-five finishes. 

His latest performance though shows he doesn't just have the speed to attack, but he has the tools to defend as part of his race craft. 

The pair greet each other following their hard but fair racing on the circuit on Sunday

The pair greet each other following their hard but fair racing on the circuit on Sunday

Little can blow Verstappen off course - except the wind

The pattern is set this term. When Max Verstappen finishes the race - he wins.

It's four grands prix wins from six in 2022 now for the world champion with his two non-wins coming courtesy of race retirements from second place in Bahrain at the opening race of the season as well as in Australia.

He hasn't had it all his own way on track, with title rival Charles Leclerc testing him on more than one occasion this term, while George Russell's defensive masterclass left him highly frustrated for a long time at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday.

But the action at Barcelona did show that while few on the track can stop him, there are more unconventional and simple ways to halt him in his tracks.

It turns out the Dutchman can be caught by a surprise gust of wind blowing around a track.

Verstappen overcame earlier set-backs in the race to take victory at the Spanish Grand Prix

Verstappen overcame earlier set-backs in the race to take victory at the Spanish Grand Prix

While chasing Charles Leclerc in the early part of

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