Hamilton was running on five laps fresher medium tyres while running behind Max Verstappen after the f🙈irst round of pit stops.

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

The seven-time champion overtook Verstappen with six laps remaining to claim his ♏fifth consecutive victory at the Circuit de Barce🐭lona-Catalunya.

Reflecting on yet another victory, Hamilton praised Mercedes for i🤪ts “good gamble”.

“I feel great after this. I feel like we can go again. Obviously the training is working and paying off. Such a close start. There was a lo▨t of rubber down on the right-hand side and th🔜e 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 ꦯjust managed to keep them in somehow. It was a long way to come back from, 20 odd seconds back bu🅰t 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 Circuꩵit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“It had been the plan all weekend for us to make 🧔sure we had two mediums to be able to do a two-stop,” Hamilto🐠n 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 ha𝔉d the pace we had, I knew as soon as I could get past him 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 call and stay out. I obviously did what the team𒊎 asked and🦂 naturally because there’s a great trust between us. Just a remarkable job by everyone here in this team through and through. What a day!”