World champion Max Verstappen completed a Formula One Spanish Grand Prix winning hat-trick on Sunday when he capitalized on a poor start from frustrated pole sitter Lando Norris.
McLaren's Norris dropped to third into turn one as Mercedes' George Russell ambushed him and Verstappen from fourth on the grid.
Verstappen took the lead in lap three and never looked back en route to his seventh season victory and 61st overall, facing no traffic while Norris had to work his way up again after both pit stops and eventually trailed by 2.2 seconds.
Mercedes showed their latest improvement with Lewis Hamilton third for his first season podium and Russell fourth.
Ferrari had to settle for fifth and sixth from Charles Leclerc and local star Carlos Sainz.
Verstappen increased his championship lead to 69 points, with Norris now second, two points ahead of Leclerc.
The start made the difference, all agree
"I think what made the race was the beginning. I took the lead and then had a buffer in that first stint and could eke out a gap," Verstappen said.
"After that we had to drive defensively. Lando and McLaren were very quick. I think we did everything well. I am very happy to win here."
Norris was utterly frustrated, saying: "I should have won. I got a bad start. As simple as that. The car was incredible today. We were for sure the quickest. I just lost it at the beginning."
"Disappointed but a lot of positives. One negative and that kind of ruined everting. I know that."
Russell with sensational start
The race showed again that Verstappen's total dominance is a matter of the past, as things may have really looked very different had Norris won the start.
He appeared to have stood his ground from Verstappen in robust fashion by partially forcing him onto the grass.
But Russell surprised both by storming past them into turn one from the outside from fourth on the grid, with Verstappen also getting past Norris on the inside.
Verstappen takes control
The Mercedes joy was short-lived as Verstappen moved into first in lap three thanks to superior speed.
A little further back, Carlos Sainz passed team-mate Charles Leclerc for fifth as the cars made contact.
Russell pitted first for fresh rubbers in lap 16 but the stop was not perfect and he was almost beat out of the pit lane by Sainz.
Mercedes did better with Hamilton who pitted from fourth but he found himself behind Sainz, whom he however soon passed but not without contact which pushed Sainz wide.
No coming back for Norris
Verstappen's crew also made no mistake while Norris and Leclerc were the last to pit several more laps later, leaving Verstappen with a healthy lead over the Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton, with Norris fourth.
Norris soon moved into third and then also prevailed in a thrilling duel with Russell, who countered Norris' first pass but found no answer a few seconds later.
Russell pitted for the second time right afterwards, again alongside Sainz.
Norris started to hunt down Verstappen and cut the deficit to around four seconds before the world champion pitted in lap 45. Norris stayed out three more laps and emerged some nine seconds behind the leader which he was unable to turn around.
There were also suggestions that Norris' later pit stops may have contributed to the final result.
Six-time Barcelona winner Hamilton was meanwhile happy with third although he said a poor start cost him being closer to the top two.
"It has been a good day, a solid weekend. I have to say a big thank you to the team as they have been training so hard. The strategy and the pitstops were really on point," he said.
Barcelona marked the start of a triple header, with the Austrian GP in a fortnight and the British race another week later.
