The Mercedes driver never gave up his position at the front of his grandfather, after starting on pole in Barcelona, to claim his fourth win of the season.
Red Bull driver Verstappen came from third in the starting grid to finish second – more than 24 seconds behind Hamilton – after Valtteri Bottas took over finishing third.
“It was a surprise because we had that problem with the tires (on the last race), but we seem to have understood it. I did not even know it was the last lap where I was in such a zone. I thought a little bit about going for a one-stop strategy. “
Leading from beginning to end
After winning at Silverstone last week and with comparable temperatures planned, Verstappen was the favorite of many people to win in Barcelona.
“We’ve improved and that’s the most important thing, and I hope we can give him a run for his money. But definitely Max should be seen as the favorite based on yesterday’s long runs.”
But it was a front row of Mercedes, with Hamilton claiming his 92nd pole of his career.
And the British driver has a relatively unscathed run in Barcelona, leading from start to finish to claim the 88th win of his career and his fifth Spanish GP win.
By finishing on stage for the 156th time in his 256th race, the 35-year-old etched his name in the record books, as he now has the most stage finishes in history.
“I expect more. After the second stint I was happy with my tires and Valtteri was unstoppable. I felt comfortable. We are constantly trying to improve, but (Mercedes) pushes through, we will see.”
Bottas finished more than 20 seconds behind Verstappen in the third, while Racing Point completed the top five when Sergio Perez picked Lance Stroll to fourth position.
The F1 season continues in two weeks time, with the Belgian Grand Prix on August 28 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
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