An emotional Lewis Hamilton took his first victory for Ferrari in a compelling Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired from second place with f
The report indicates that an emotional Lewis Hamilton took his first victory for Ferrari in a compelling Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired from second place with four laps to go.
It further notes that it was a dramatic end to a gripping race, with tension and jeopardy throughout, as Hamilton secured his first victory since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, when he was still driving for Mercedes.
The win turned on a virtual safety-car (VSC) period, which allowed Hamilton, on a different pit-stop strategy to Mercedes, to pit and retain the lead.
Meanwhile, Antonelli had just passed Russell for second place with five laps to go after a race-long battle when his car ground to a halt because of an electrical shutdown.
Russell finished second, and McLaren’s Lando Norris was third in the first all-British podium since the 1968 US Grand Prix.
Hamilton stated over the radio: “Grazie a tutti. You’ve helped me achieve this dream. I am so proud of you. To my family, I love you, and to the fans, thank you for continuing to remind me who I am.”
Without the VSC, Hamilton’s three-stop strategy – compared with the two of Russell and Antonelli – would have had him catching the two Mercedes and contesting for the victory in the closing laps.
Instead, the VSC allowed him to save 10 seconds on a stop and come out still in the lead, then pull away on fresher tyres.
Hamilton’s victory, in combination with Antonelli’s retirement, narrowed the seven-time champion’s deficit in the championship to 41 points.
Russell also closes in on Antonelli and is now 50 points behind the Italian.
Asked about where it ranked among his 106 career victories, Hamilton said: “They are all special in their own way. But this one is something else. I watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV. As I have been racing, I’ve always watched the screens and wondered what it would be like to win in that car, and now it has come.
“Everyone has worked hard for it, and everyone deserves it. I am forever grateful to them, and this is just the first of, I hope, many. Great pit stops today, great strategy. The car felt fantastic. Forza Ferrari.”
For a long time, the race seemed to be heading the way of one of the Mercedes drivers, as Russell converted his pole position into a lead from Hamilton and Antonelli at the start, and the two raced in that order for almost the first half of the race.
The divergent strategies of the three cars became apparent as soon as Hamilton pitted on lap 11 to change his soft tyres.
