Hamilton was running on five lapܫs fresher medium tyr🎶es while running behind Max Verstappen after the first round of pit stops.

With Hamilton being unable to overtake, Mercedes cꦰalled him in again on Lap 42 with a 20 plus second deficit to make up on Verstappen.

The seven-time champion overtook Verstappen with six laps remaining ꩲto claim his fifth consecutive victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Refl🀅ecting on yet another victory,🤪 Hamilton praised Mercedes for its “good gamble”.

“I feel great after this. I feel like we can go again. Obviously the training is working and payi🍰ng off. Such a close start. There was a lot of rubber down on the right-hand ওside and the Red Bull got a great start, after that just hunting.

“I was so close for so long and I didn’t think in doing that I was going to make the tyres last but I just managed to keep🔯 them in somehow. It was a long way to come back from, 2🐓0 odd seconds back but it was a good gamble, a really great strategy by the team.”

Hamilton revealed Mercedes deliberately saved an extra 🅘set of medium tyres in case it opted for a two-stop strategy, even though the one-stop strategy was potentially favourable given the difficulties in overtaking at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“It had been the plan all weekend for us to make sure w🐭e had two mediums to be able to do a two-stop,” Hamilton added. ”A one-stop potentially looked better. I know from experience here, a one-stop is very, very hard to pull off.

“As soon as we had the pace we had, I knew as🉐 soon as I could get past hi🍸m if I could. I was about to… I think I had a shot of getting past him before I pitted right at the end and I was really conflicted.

“Like do I come in or do I ignore the cal🔯l and stay out. I obviously did what the team asked and naturally because there’s a great trust between us. Just a remarkable job by everyone here in tꦬhis team through and through. What a day!”