Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes’ dominance in Barcelona with a stunning breakthrough victory for Ferrari, claiming his first win for the team just seven races into his second season with the Scuderia.
George Russell finished second and Lando Norris took third, marking the first all-British Formula 1 podium since the 1968 United States Grand Prix, when Jackie Stewart came home ahead of Graham Hill and John Surtees.
For Hamilton, the result represented a powerful turnaround after a difficult debut season with Ferrari in 2025. That campaign was marked by a lack of pace and a dip in confidence so severe that he admitted to questioning whether he still had what it took.
He has revived his form through relentless work behind the scenes at Ferrari’s factory in Italy, while also helping to unite the team around him with the force of his experience and personality.
“I wish I had the right words,” Hamilton said. “How do you find the right words to express an emotion that’s beyond your wildest dreams? I truly believed in my decision to join Ferrari, and I truly believed in what this team could achieve — what we could achieve together.”
The victory in Spain followed back-to-back runner-up finishes in Canada and Monaco, further underlining Hamilton’s resurgence and strengthening his status as a serious contender for a long-sought eighth world title.
Lewis Hamilton claimed the first win of his Ferrari career at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Hamilton became the seventh oldest race-winner in F1 history at 41 years old
A jubilant Hamilton celebrates following his first Grand Prix victory since 2024
After six wins on the bounce Mercedes was beaten fair and square for the first time in 2026, as Hamilton and Ferrari simply outperformed the championship leaders. While Hamilton caught a lucky break when he was able to make cheap pit stop when a virtual safety car slowed the field, he would have won anyway, albeit not quite so comprehensively.
A season that looked like it was going to be all about Russell and his young team mate Kimi Antonelli has taken on a completely different complexion.
Ferrari showed that at this venue at least its car had winning pace, and that combined with Russell and Antonelli taking points off each other, not to mention the poor Mercedes reliability record that continued with the young Italian’s retirement in Spain, can open the door for Hamilton.
He had already moved ahead of Russell into second place after Monaco, and he now trails Antonelli by 156 to 115, with Russell on 106. With 15 race weekends to come everything is still to play for.
The Barcelona race was won with an aggressive strategy from Ferrari. Hamilton had staked his claim by qualifying second, between Russell and Antonelli. They remained in that order in the early laps, with Hamilton keeping Russell on his toes, and holding off Antonelli.
This was always going to be a race about keep the tyres alive and getting the pit strategy just right. Ferrari took the lead by pitting early, obliging Mercedes to respond.
It was an early second stop for Hamilton in the middle of the race that gave him the breathing space to run quickly on fresh tyres that really put Mercedes on the back foot as its two drivers initially stayed out.
By the time they pitted, Hamilton had the advantage, and it was the arrival of a virtual safety car – called when Lewis’s former team mate Fernando Alonso stopped on track – that gave him a cheap stop and another set of fresh tyres.
Hamilton emotionally thanked Ferrari’s staff and his fans following his triumph in Barcelona
Hamilton has enjoyed a spike in form since entering into a relationship with Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian accompanied Hamilton at last week’s Monaco Grand Prix
Hamilton is 41 points behind championship leader Kim Antonelli, after he was forced to retire
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur praised Hamilton’s work ethic after his long-awaited victory
He came out of the pits ahead of the two Mercedes drivers, and with plenty of pace to bring the car safely home.
Russell hadn’t put a foot wrong all weekend, but in the late stages Antonelli forced a way by to claim second – only to stop shortly afterwards with a mechanical failure having experienced the sort of misfortune that stuck Russell while leading in Canada last month.
Russell came home safely in second, while Antonelli’s retirement elevated Lando Norris to third. Hamilton’s Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc, totally overshadowed in recent weeks, retired with a hydraulic issue.
Hamilton’s fellow podium finishers were pleased to see Hamilton get his victory.
‘We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis,’ said Russell. ‘And for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect. It was a big, bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it now paying off for him is very special to see, given the magnitude of the decision.’
‘Good for him,’ said Norris. ‘I think you could see how much it meant to him. At the same time, he’s obviously had a lot of people talk badly about him, and he’s got a lot of crap online from a lot of people, so it’s nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them.’
Hamilton’s French team boss Fred Vasseur, who was responsible for bringing him to Ferrari, paid tribute to his work ethic.
‘I have zero merit on this,’ he said when asked by Daily Mail Sport about the way Hamilton has bounced back. ‘It’s more Lewis himself, I think. He was able to come back after tough, tough moments. He was able to come back to do a full reset, and to continue to push, to continue to come to the factory on the Tuesday morning.
‘And this commitment, it’s a huge support. And coming from a World Champion. It’s even more, I would say, and it was also a huge motivation for everybody at the factory.’
