Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona to claim the 156th podium of his Formula 1 career, moving past Michael Schumacher for the all-time record.
Matched at Silverstone, broken a week later
Hamilton had drawn level with Schumacher's mark of 155 rostrums at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix seven days earlier. The record had stood since the 2002 British Grand Prix, when Schumacher surpassed Alain Prost's previous benchmark of 106 podiums.
A lead built from lap ten onwards
Starting from pole, Hamilton led every lap of the 66-lap contest in sweltering conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Max Verstappen held within two seconds for the opening stint, but when Hamilton quickened his pace from lap ten the Red Bull driver fell away, complaining of degrading soft rear tyres.
By lap twenty the gap had grown to six seconds. Hamilton crossed the line in 1:31:45.279, with Verstappen 24.177 seconds adrift and Valtteri Bottas a further 20 seconds back in third.
Fifth win in Spain, fourth of the season
The victory was Hamilton's fifth at the Spanish Grand Prix and his fourth win from six rounds of the 2020 campaign. It extended his championship lead over Verstappen to 37 points, building momentum toward a seventh drivers' title.
Two months later he would pass Schumacher's win record at Portimão with his 92nd career victory, before sealing that seventh championship in Istanbul.
Hamilton told reporters afterwards that he felt "humbled and honoured" and that the achievement went "far beyond" what he dreamed of as a child. "I don't really know what to say to those things," he added when asked about comparisons to Schumacher.
The milestone, earned through relentless control from lights to flag, distilled a career spent accumulating records once thought untouchable.
