FORMULA ONE

FORMULA ONE

Mercedes wins fifth race in a row

MONTMELO, Spain

Lewis Hamilton wasn’t going to be kind to his teammate this time.

Hamilton blasted past pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, kept his nerve when things got tight at the first corner, and then raced away to reclaim the overall Formula One lead on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, five-time and defending champion Hamilton said he was maybe “too friendly” when Bottas stayed in front after a similar grid start for the Mercedes drivers in Azerbaijan.

Hamilton hinted that he wouldn’t make that mistake again in Spain, and he got some help from a poor getaway by Bottas to overtake him in the opening meters en route to winning the race at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit for a third consecutive year.

The Mercedes pair strengthened their grip on F1 with their record-extending fifth one-two finish in as many races in 2019.

“This is history in the making to have five one-twos,” Hamilton said after his 76th career win, second only to Michael Schumacher’s 91.

“It is incredible what we are achieving together ... And I plan on working with this team to help it become the most successful team of all time. That is my sole goal and my sole purpose.”

Hamilton added a bonus point for the fastest lap to take a seven-point advantage over Bottas.

Max Verstappen was third in his Red Bull, in front of Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton got the jump on Bottas off the line when Vettel surged forward and made it three abreast going through the first corner. Vettel locked up on the turn, and Bottas, sandwiched in the middle, had to blink to avoid a possible collision as Hamilton sped clear.

Verstappen took advantage of the jousting to slip by Vettel.

Verstappen is 46 points adrift of Hamilton in the standings. Vettel fell to fourth at 48 points back.

LATE SATURDAY NASCAR

Keselowski dedicates win to Mittler

KANSAS CITY, Kan.

Brad Keselowski had planned to head to St. Louis after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway to visit Mike Mittler, a longtime Truck Series owner who helped him early in his career and had been battling cancer the past couple years.

But after Mittler died Friday night at the age of 67, Keselowski headed to victory lane instead, capturing the checkered flag Saturday night and dedicating the win to his friend and mentor.

“He helped a lot of guys in their career. Just a huge loss for the NASCAR community,” said Keselowski, who held off Alex Bowman and a charging field in overtime for his third win this season.

“One of those unsung heroes,” Keselowski added. “Gave his whole life to this sport.”

Mittler would have liked the hardscrabble way Keselowski won at Kansas.

He dealt with balance problems early in the race, never really contended with the faster cars of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch through the first couple of stages, yet managed to get everything sorted out in time to give Team Penske a satisfying Saturday sweep.

Simon Pagenaud won a wet and wild IndyCar Grand Prix in Indianapolis earlier in the day.

Bowman finished second for the third straight week, while Erik Jones triggered some bad blood with Kansas native Clint Bowyer by making an aggressive move that allowed him to hold onto third.

Associated Press