Lewis Hamilton: Our season begins here

Lewis Hamilton looked as satisfied as he has done all season after he won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona in utterly convincing fashion, finishing well ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas for a Mercedes one-two that left Ferrari and Red Bull in the shade.

Lewis Hamilton was on pole and was in control of the race for its duration, with Mercedes operating a smart pitting strategy and having a clear speed advantage over the rest of the teams, most notably Ferrari who at times looked sluggish.

Bottas' second place, staying ahead of a superb Max Verstappen drive, who had to contend with a broken wing which eventually fell off the car completely, meant that Mercedes sent a dominant message to Ferrari that their season now begins in earnest.

Interviewed by Paul Di Resta immediately after the race, Hamilton commented: "I couldn't have done it without this incredible team.

"I had the synergy that I haven't had all season today, it was a good feeling. This is when we start to apply the pressure and get 1 - 2 for the team. We have strength in depth and I hope that can continue.

"A big thank you to all the fans who came out, they were incredible here as they always are."

Hamilton has now opened up a 17-point lead over Vettel in the F1 driver's championship as the European leg of the F1 calendar gets off to a conventional start, with Mercedes dominant, delighting the world champion.

"It felt really good today. I don't know how it looked but it felt special, it felt strong today," Hamilton added to Sky Sports. "The guys have been working so hard back at the factory and here and it's great to see.

"I really had no idea how the race was going to go. We got the qualifying right but temperature was up and down today, clouds were coming over, we didn't know if it was going to rain or not.

"But one for thing for sure is that once I got going – and I got a good start which I was really hoping for as I've not always had a good start and I've always been contested at the first corner – I was really surprised that nobody had the pace to keep up with me. I was pulling away at almost a second a lap and was thinking 'Yes, let's keep this up'.

"This was definitely the closest it's been to some of the good performances we had last year for how comfortable I was in the car."