OMNISPORT

Lewis Hamilton says he is "nearly in the groove" after claiming a second successive Formula One win at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.

Defending champion Hamilton has had to be patient this season, waiting until the fourth race in Azerbaijan to register his first victory of the campaign. But the 33-year-old now sits 17 points clear of Sebastian Vettel at the top of the drivers' standings after winning by 20 seconds in Barcelona.

Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas finished second ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Vettel having to settle for fourth after being forced into a second pit stop.

"It felt really good today," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "I don't know how it looked but it felt special, it felt strong. The guys have been working so hard back in the factory and here and it's so good to see. Our temperature was up and down, clouds were in the air, but once I got going and got a good start it was great. After that I was really surprised they didn't have the pace to keep up with me. I'm nearly in it [the groove], I think. I know it sounds weird but today is the closest I think I've been but there are still areas that weren't quite perfect.

"It was definitely the closest it's been to some of the performances we had last year. The more confident I am the better the pace is. To get the one-two, it's such a great result for everyone. Monaco [on May 27] is going to be really tough. The Red Bulls are really fast in the final sector and it's going to be really hard to beat them."