Hamilton wins – Lewis Hamilton took his first victory since joining Ferrari in a breakthrough Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, ending a 40-race win drought while F1 leader Kimi Antonelli’s bid for points collapsed late in the race.
MONTMELO, Spain — Lewis Hamilton’s day changed with the kind of precision Formula 1 rarely promises. At the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday. he crossed the finish line more than 19 seconds ahead of George Russell. pumping his fist and sprinting into the arms of his Ferrari engineers and pit crew.
For Hamilton, the win was bigger than a single Sunday result. It was his first race victory since joining Ferrari two years ago. lifting his career record to 106 wins and ending a run of 40 races without victory — his previous win coming at the Belgian GP in July 2024 while he was still with Mercedes.
“ They are all special in their own way, but this one is something else,” Hamilton said about the importance of the triumph. “I watched Ferrari have all this success when I was younger and wondered what it would be like to win in this car. And now it has come true.”
Hamilton’s race plan relied on fresher tires and what Ferrari executed as a superior pitstop strategy. He started the race in a strong position, qualifying second ahead of Antonelli, and then used the timing of his stops to overtake the pole-sitting Russell. Russell finished second in his Mercedes.
On team radio after the finish, Hamilton put the moment into words that sounded like relief as much as celebration. “Thank you so much to help me achieve this dream,” he said. “Thank you for everyone pushing so hard at home. thanks to my family. and to my fans who continue to remind me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.”.
The victory also marked a shift in the season’s momentum. Hamilton broke Mercedes’ grip on the top spot of the podium that had lasted six races.
Antonelli’s collapse turned the afternoon sharply in Hamilton’s favor. The 19-year-old had been on a roll. winning five races in a row and passing his Mercedes teammate before his car stopped on the track with just four laps to go. Just minutes earlier. he had already taken the edge through a direct duel with Russell — sweeping past him with four laps remaining.
The timing was brutal. Antonelli’s stalled car ended his chance at 18 points, and it also reshaped the championship picture with him still leading but with a widening target on his back.
Even as Hamilton pulled away, Ferrari was matching the race’s hardest reality: tire wear. Ferrari chose a three-stop strategy to keep Hamilton on fresher tires at a circuit known to be tough on rubber. with track temperatures reported at 50 Celsius (122 F). Hamilton slipped ahead of Russell when the timing came together, and his last stop became decisive after an unexpected interruption.
A stoppage involving Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin brought out a virtual safety car. Ferrari called Hamilton in for his final stop while rivals couldn’t push hard during the period of caution. With a fresh set of tires. he re-emerged in front and then held the advantage as Russell was forced into damage control.
“It all unraveled for the 19-year-old,” Hamilton’s dominant margin made clear without needing any extra explanation. Russell remained focused on defending his position from Antonelli after their earlier joust, but by the time the late drama hit, Antonelli’s surge had run into mechanical silence.
Hamilton’s result gave him a historic footnote, too. It was his seventh win at Montmelo, a record at the track, though it was his first here since 2021.
The victory carried extra weight because of what Hamilton had been trying to shake off with Ferrari. The 41-year-old had been building toward this moment after a miserable 2025 with the Italian team. when he didn’t finish on the podium and only celebrated a sprint race win. He’d arrived at Barcelona with signs of progress. including runner-up finishes at Canada and Monaco. and he said he had laid the “foundation” with Ferrari before he qualified second ahead of Antonelli for the race.
The standings tightened fast after Sunday. Antonelli still leads the championship with 156 points, but Hamilton has closed the gap to 115, with Russell on 106.
Behind the front pack, Lando Norris finished third in his McLaren ahead of Max Verstappen in fourth. Oscar Piastri — who won here last year — placed fifth in the other McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Barcelona GP Formula 1 Kimi Antonelli George Russell Mercedes Lando Norris Max Verstappen Oscar Piastri