Hamilton celebrates maiden win with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton's wait for a race victory with Ferrari is over.

Yellow helmet still on, Hamilton pumped his fists and took a running leap into the arms of his fellow crimson-clad crew members after parking his Ferrari in the No 1 spot on winner's row following his masterful race at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday.

It had been a throwback, vintage Hamilton win. A victory that showed the seven-time champion, whose last title came in 2020, may just be back to his best at age 41.

Hamilton thanked, and thanked again, his teammates, the engineers back in Italy, his family and his fans in an emotional celebration for the driver who once dominated the sport, but hadn't won a race in nearly two years.

"I watched Ferrari have all this success when I was younger and wondered what it would be like to win in this car. I'm forever grateful, and, hopefully, it's the first of many," Hamilton said from the winner's podium while thousands cheered.

His record-extending victory No 106 may have also ignited a title fight with a Mercedes that looked untouchable following a rulebook overhaul this year and all six previous races going to the German team.

"They are all special in their own way, but this one is something else," Hamilton said about the importance of a victory that ended a run of 40 races without a win, 30 of which had come since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the end of 2024.

His last win had been at the Belgian GP in July of that year.

"It's all starting to come together and I'm just happy in my life," said Hamilton, who looked like a different driver from the despondent racer who struggled with Ferrari last campaign, never even reaching the podium.

Hamilton admitted that during his troublesome first year with Ferrari he reached a point when he thought, "maybe it is true that you get to a certain point you lose it".

"But you don't," he said. "It takes perseverance to tap into that inner self. Now I feel great racing with 19-year-olds."

To sweeten the day for Ferrari, Hamilton was already cruising to victory when Kimi Antonelli, the F1 points leader, came to a stop on the track with just four laps to go when his Mercedes suffered an electrical shutdown.

That ended the young Italian's incredible run of five straight wins.

Antonelli still leads with 156 points after seven races, but Hamilton has closed the gap and has 115. George Russell guided his Mercedes to a second-place finish and now has 106 points.

It was Hamilton's seventh win at this track, a record at Montmelo, and his first here since 2021.

He was building toward this long-awaited victory with runner-up finishes at Canada and Monaco. He said he had set the "foundation" with Ferrari before he qualified second ahead of Antonelli in Barcelona.

"Thank you so much for helping me to achieve this dream," Hamilton said on the team radio after crossing the finish line more than 19 seconds ahead of Russell. "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."

Pitstop strategy

Hamilton took advantage of fresher tires and a superior pitstop strategy by Ferrari to overtake the pole-sitting Russell.

Ferrari opted for a three-stop race to give Hamilton fresher tires on a track that is known to be hard on rubber, especially with track temperatures hitting 50 C.

The quicker wheels had him slip ahead of Russell, who, like Antonelli, was on a two-stop plan, when a bit of luck sealed it for Hamilton.

A stoppage by Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin brought out a virtual safety car, and Ferrari called in Hamilton for his final stop while his rivals couldn't push the pace, and he emerged in the lead with a fresh set of tires.

Seeing Hamilton slip away, Russell was left to protect his position from Antonelli. They had jousted earlier in the race, before Antonelli eventually swept past.

Moments later, it all unraveled for Antonelli when he stopped and his shot at 18 points vanished.

Russell said his team will need to solve their mechanical issues, after he also had a late breakdown in Canada. He also had some nice words for Hamilton, his former teammate.

"It was a big bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it paying off now is great to see, he is going to be a real threat," Russell said.

Defending F1 champion Lando Norris was third in his McLaren, making it the first all-British podium since 1968.

Max Verstappen for Red Bull was in fourth, while Oscar Piastri, who won here last year, was fifth in the other McLaren.

Isack Hadjar of Red Bull was sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto of Alpine. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.

Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, had to retire late when his Ferrari failed due to a hydraulic problem.

Alonso had a dismal day in what he said is likely his last race in northeastern Spain. The 44-year-old former champion started from the pit lane following an engine change after bottoming out in qualifying and then broke down during the race. Aston Martin's other car, driven by Lance Stroll, retired early because of a gearbox issue.

This is the last race near Barcelona for two years.

It will return in 2028 as it alternates on the F1 calendar with the Belgian GP through 2032.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA