Remember those days when winning from pole position at the Circuit de Catalunya was supposedly easy? Well, there was nothing straightforward about Lewis Hamilton's 2017 triumph as a combination of good strategy, good fortune and, in the end, hard, gutsy racing meant he overcame Sebastian Vettel and got back all-but on level terms in what's already providing to be a captivating title fight.
The race winner didn't exactly look shattered at the end but, as some of his radio messages mid-race hinted at, the 66 laps were his toughest physical workout in a car for quite some time. "I don't remember having a race like this for a long time," he said. "I'm looking forward to lying down after this!"
This is exactly what F1's rules reset was supposed to achieve - and Hamilton and Vettel, the grid's two most decorated drivers, are thriving. And in their first true wheel-to-wheel duel of the season, it was Hamilton, firmly back on form after Sochi, who leaves Barcelona with the winning bragging rights.
Rating out of ten: 9.5
In the end there was not much more Sebastian Vettel could have done. The championship leader atoned for the slight error which cost him pole on Saturday by jumping Hamilton off the line to grab the lead into Turn One.
He was frustrated by Valtteri Bottas after coming out behind the sister Mercedes following his stop. But Vettel showed he is willing to risk it all in his bid for a fifth world title by dummying and going onto the grass as he produced the move of the day to pass the Finn on lap 25.
Ultimately it was Ferrari's delay in pitting Vettel until after the Virtual Safety Car had ended, which saw his eight-second lead over Hamilton wiped out, that proved decisive. The German was still willing to bare his teeth by forcing his rival off track as he rejoined but was ultimately left helpless on slower tyres and without DRS when Hamilton made his race-winning move.
The question now is whether Vettel may hold a psychological disadvantage to Hamilton in the championship race. This was the first time in their careers that the two had gone wheel-to-wheel in comparable cars and it was the Briton who came out on top. But Vettel still holds that six-point lead.
Rating out of ten: 9
Daniel Ricciardo got himself and Red Bull back on the podium, but the former world champions remain a long way off challenging for race wins. It was a lonely race for the Australian as he finished over 75 seconds behind race-winner Hamilton but managed to lap fourth-placed Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo's third place was in no small part down to the misfortune of those in front of him but conceded he will take all he can at this stage. "I got a bit fortunate with Valtteri's problem towards the end of the race," he said. "I'm still happy to be up there again and see all the smiles from the team. Today we will enjoy the podium but tomorrow we need to understand how to further close the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes."
Rating out of ten: 7.5
Make that 15 points finishes in a row now for Sergio Perez. There may effectively be three formulas within one so far this season, but the Mexican has consistently been at the head of his one with his run to fourth at Barcelona consolidating that status.
Perez almost certainly would have finished exactly three places lower had Bottas, Raikkonen and Verstappen made the flag, but that trio's travails and turn-one battle scares shouldn't take away from another very impressive performance from Force India's lead driver. Could Ferrari, who once had Perez on their academy books, yet be keeping an eye out for 2018?
Rating out of ten: 8.5
And in the other Force India, Esteban Ocon continued his record of scoring points in every race this season to follow his team-mate home. It was the Frenchman's best finish in his fledgling Formula 1 career and he is beginning to make a name for himself.
"We are maximising the result all the time and that's really good," he told Sky F1. "The team have helped me develop massively as a driver. I'm working all the time and that is key when you have a lack of experience. I'm really happy with the step I've made this weekend."
While Ferrari may be keeping an eye on Perez, Mercedes are surely monitoring their protege with the view to a future seat at Brackley.
Rating out of ten: 8
A ninth, an eighth and now a sixth-placed finish for Nico Hulkenberg in a promising 2017 season in which Renault have already nearly doubled their points haul from last year.
After being disappointed to qualify only 13th, Hulkenberg admitted Sunday had been "our lucky day" thanks to any unusually high number of front-running retirements. But credit to both driver and RS17 car, with the team managing to jump Wehrlein and Sainz through the second round of pit stops.
Rating out of ten: 7.5
Another solid drive from Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard has now finished in the points in every race he has finished this season. Sainz built on a good start to finish eighth and then be promoted one place after Pascal Wehrlein's time penalty. The 22-year-old was frustrated at his inability to pass the German on track by he did contribute some wheel-to-wheel action as he battled with Kevin Magnussen at the end of the pit lane after their first stops.
"If Ferrari don't keep Raikkonen they have to get this kid in the car. He's ready to do the job," Martin Brundle said in commentary. A bigger seat surely awaits Sainz in the near future.
Rating out of ten: 7.5
Away from the front two, Pascal Wehrlein produced arguably the drive of the day to claim Sauber's first points of the season. Starting 15th, the Mercedes' protege made the most of a one-stop strategy and the retirements of Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen to finish eighth.
His only blemish was a five-second time penalty received after a late dive into the pits when battling Hulkenberg saw him drive the wrong side of a bollard. When the penalty was announced, it looked as though Wehrlein's error could cost him a top-10 spot but the German showed his promise to build the gap to those behind and only lose one spot to his track finish.
"He showed his character. He took so much criticism, some very unfair, for his injury. He showed everyone today what he's capable of," team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said. Wehrlein's four points could prove critical for Sauber in the final championship standings.
Rating out of ten: 9
A fine recovery drive from Daniil Kvyat to claim his second points finish of the season. The Russian started on the back row after being baffled by an "undrivable" Toro Rosso during Saturday qualifying. Kvyat predicted an "interesting" race on Martin Brundle's grid walk and he played his part to finish ninth.
A late coming together with Magnussen denied Kvyat the chance to take advantage of Wehrlein's penalty but he was content with his afternoon's work. "We didn't give up," he said. "These points are very welcome after a tough weekend.
Rating out of ten: 7.5
A point gained at the end of challenging weekend for Romain Grosjean, although it wouldn't have been that good had Haas team-mate Magnussen not picked up a puncture four laps from the end.
A spin at the end of qualifying had left him 14th and Grosjean will now hope for better on the streets of Monaco, where he'll hope to return to Saturday form after some qualy troubles so far this year.
Rating out of ten: 6.5
Marcus Ericsson's 11th-placed finish was his best of the season and rounded off a positive day for Sauber. He was also able to show on track how the Swiss team have moved ahead of McLaren-Honda by passing Fernando Alonso late on, despite running a year-old Ferrari engine.
The disappointment for Ericsson will be how he was once again out-performed by team-mate Wehrlein on a race weekend. While just 0.005 seconds split the pair in qualifying, it meant a Q1 exit for the Swede and he will be looking to respond to the challenge in Monaco.
Rating out of ten: 7
Well, at least there was qualifying. Fernando Alonso and McLaren were transported back to a harsher reality on race day at Barcelona, with the Spaniard's hopes of holding on to a top-10 position scuppered almost straight away by contact with Felipe Massa which sent the Spaniard scampering through the gravel.
Down to 11th, Alonso lost more ground after the first stops courtesy of Ericsson's Sauber down the pitstraight, with the Spaniard frustrating losing tough with the Swede thereafter. But, after four successive retirements, at least the MCL32 made it to the finish. Now, Stateside-bound, Fernando just needs to get some rest as he embarks on the biggest challenge of his career: "Tomorrow at 9am I need to be at the Brickyard, and at noon I'll be in the car for first practice. So I now have 14 hours to rest, nine of which will be spent on the plane, so we need to switch into Indy mode now, and for the next two weeks my full focus will be on that."
Will McLaren-Honda be in any better shape on his return in Canada next month?
Rating out of ten: 8 (but 10 for the qualifying drive of the season so far)
A tough afternoon for Felipe Massa who saw his race effectively ended on the first lap by a coming together with former Ferrari team-mate Alonso. There was little the Williams driver could do as he looked to avoid Raikkonen's broken Ferrari rejoining the track but he was left with a puncture which saw him immediately lapped by the front runners.
That was not Massa's only time in the wars as Stoffel Vandoorne crashed into him at Turn One, forcing him into another extra stop and the experience Brazilian was left ruing his misfortune. "We had a big opportunity to finish fourth today, which I think I could have done because we had good pace," he said. "It's really painful because we lost so many points today as a team."
Rating out of ten: 6
The leading Haas driver all weekend, Kevin Magnussen was heading for a handy points finish before his placing - and his tyre - was punctured within five laps of the finish after a spot of wheel banging with Daniil Kvyat.
Rating out of ten: 7
A difficult weekend once again for Jolyon Palmer. Compromised by his poor qualifying, the Briton looked to be aggressive on race day by attempting a different strategy to the majority of the field but it had little effect. He avoided finishing last by passing Lance Stroll in the final laps but with team-mate Hulkenberg again in the points, the pressure continues to rise.
"I wasn't able to get the pace out of the car when it was needed," he said. "I'm determined that we will do better in Monaco."
Rating out of ten: 5
Lance Stroll's tough introduction to Formula 1 goes on as he ended last of the cars to finish, being passed by team-mate Massa - who had pitted an extra time and been involved in two crashes - and Palmer in the final two laps. It followed another early exit in Saturday qualifying and the pressure is beginning to increase on the young Canadian. The small positive is that Stroll is now finishing races having been forced to retire from the opening three grands prix.
Rating out of ten: 5
Did not finish
Another painful weekend for Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren-Honda. His wait to escape Q1 on a Saturday continues and while his team-mate was starting in seventh, the Belgian was last after receiving a grid penalty after McLaren changed more components of his power unit. His race ended on lap 34 when he turned into Massa's car as the Brazilian passed him into Turn One, breaking his suspension and ending up in the gravel. He faces a three-place grid drop in Monaco as a result.
Rating out of ten: 4
In the end, being forced to return to the power unit which had completed the first four Grand Prix proved costly for Valtteri Bottas as it conked out on lap 40. But the Finn certainly made his mark in Barcelona. He sparked the first lap chaos by making the slightest contact with Raikkonen while he held up Vettel after Hamilton's first stop, costing the German "an awful lot of time", which opened the door for the Briton to close in the final third of the race. Team boss Toto Wolff highlighted Bottas' impact in Hamilton's win, telling Sky Sports F1: "It was a team effort. I wouldn't forget Valtteri. His race was pretty much gone after contact in Turn One. He played a part in [the win]."
Rating out of ten: 7
Kimi Raikkonen's race lasted a matter of seconds as he was touched by Bottas at Turn One which sent his Ferrari into Max Verstappen's Red Bull, breaking his steering. It ended a difficult 24 hours for the Finn after the weekend had started so promisingly. Raikkonen had outpaced team-mate Vettel in both Friday practice sessions before topping the timesheet in Practice Three. But a number of small mistakes in Qualifying meant he had to settle for fourth on the grid and left him admitting he needed to "drive better". With rumours of him being replaced next season rearing again, Raikkonen will want a faultless weekend in Monaco in two weeks' time.
Rating out of ten: N/A
Oh what a difference 12 months made for Max Verstappen in Barcelona. Victorious last year on his Red Bull debut, the teenager's race was ended at the first corner this year as he was the unfortunate victim of the chain reaction after Bottas clipped Raikkonen. The Dutchman can take heart from out-qualifying team-mate Ricciardo by half-a-second, and will be hoping Monaco's street circuit negates the obvious power deficit Red Bull still have to the Mercedes and Ferrari.
Rating out of ten: N/A
Don't miss the final word on the Spanish GP in the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8.30pm on Sky F1. Leading F1 journalist Peter Windsor joins Natalie Pinkham and Marc Priestley to look back at all the Barcelona action
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