Lewis Hamilton wins first grand prix for Ferrari

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton clenches his fist in celebration after winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — Image caption,

Lewis Hamilton has become the seventh oldest driver to win a F1 grand prix

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 was a dramatic end to a gripping race that had 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.

An emotional Hamilton said 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.”

The key stories of a momentous race were:

Confirmation of Hamilton and Ferrari’s return to the front
Antonelli’s first problem of the year providing much-needed luck for Russell
A touch of irony as to the cause of the VSC that turned the race for Hamilton

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, and 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.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris celebrate on the podium after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — Image caption,

The previous all-British podium was at the 1968 US Grand Prix when Jackie Stewart won from Graham Hill and John Surtees

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.

Russell and Antonelli had started on the medium compound, but Mercedes chose to bring them in after Hamilton to protect track position, even though the team’s radio communications made it obvious they knew they were on a different strategy.

When Hamilton pitted for a second time on lap 27, Antonelli began to pressure Russell for the lead, closing right up on his team-mate and trying a couple of times to pass into Turn One.

But the two drivers were warned not to waste too much time fighting, in the context of their battle with Hamilton.

Russell stopped for a final time on lap 36, Antonelli a lap later, handing the lead to Hamilton, who still had one stop to make.

Hamilton’s job initially looked like it was to lose as little time as possible to the advancing Mercedes on their fresher tyres, before pitting, dropping to third, and trying to catch them again.

But Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin broke down at Turn Nine on lap 40, and that led to a VSC being deployed to recover the car safely.

Under a VSC, cars have to slow down and maintain their gaps, but as they are travelling slower, it means a pit stop costs relatively less time than under racing conditions.

Hamilton had a 14-second lead, and that was enough margin to stop under the VSC and come out still in front.

It put him in a strong position, out front and with tyres that were eight laps fresher. Only a problem now could cost him a victory and the car ran like clockwork to the end for Hamilton’s 106th grand prix victory and Ferrari’s first since Mexico 2024.

There were two small ironies. Hamilton’s win was Ferrari’s first in Spain since 2013, when the man who delivered it was Alonso, whose retirement caused the VSC that delivered this next one to his old arch-rival.

And the post-race interviews were conducted by Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate, with whom he had also had an acrimonious relationship when they were in the same team – and 10 years since the pair crashed together on the first lap of this race when competing for the title.

At Mercedes, it was a tale of mixed fortunes.

Russell would probably have won the race had it not been for the VSC but until Antonelli’s retirement it looked as if he would once again have to accept second best to his young team-mate, who has had such a sensational turnaround of form this year.

Russell needed a good weekend after a difficult run of form and results, and on a competitive level he has had one.

And for a long time, it looked like he would secure his second win of the year, only for the VSC to turn the race on its head.

He weathered the first wave of pressure from Antonelli mid-race and looked on course for victory.

But once the VSC vaulted Hamilton to the front, Russell remained under pressure from Antonelli and the 19-year-old passed him into Turn One with five laps to go.

No sooner had Antonelli moved into second place, luck turned against him, and the car ground to a halt between Turns Five and Six.

His retirement moved McLaren’s Lando Norris into the final podium position. The world champion had been close behind Antonelli for much of the race but not quite close enough to challenge.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth, from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and the second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar.