lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel to win the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, tightening Formula One's intense title fight.
Vettel edged past the pole-sitting Hamilton at the first corner, but the British driver overtook Vettel's Ferrari with more than 20 laps left while running on a faster set of tires as Mercedes' pit strategy paid off.
"What can I sayIJ Fantastic job. The strategy was on point with the pit stops," Hamilton told his team via radio after crossing the finish line.
Hamilton's second win in five races this season cut Vettel's lead from 13 points to six heading into the Monaco GP.
Daniel Ricciardo brought his Red Bull across in a distant third place to complete the podium, his best result of the season. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and 2016 race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull collided on the first turn, knocking both drivers out of the race. Valtteri Bottas also dropped out after his Mercedes engine failed midway through the race.
Vettel had a great jump from second on the grid, going past Hamilton to the first right-hand turn and staying in front just as his Ferrari partner's race ended.
Before Bottas broke down, he gave Hamilton some critical help by holding Vettel up through a thrilling lap-long duel. Vettel eventually got by, but by then Hamilton had clawed back a few valuable seconds. "I was surprised that when I came out we were so close," Vettel said. "I was doing what I could to say in front, but as soon as I was alone he just flew past."
Force India season's best
Force India recorded their best result of the 2017 season so far as Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished fourth and fifth respectively in the Spanish Grand Prix here on Sunday.
With new upgrades, Perez and Ocon had qualified eighth and 10th in the qualifying.
Personally, it was a memorable race for Ocon, who achieved his best ever finish in Formula One.
The team amassed 22 points from the race, taking its overall tally to 53 after five rounds.