Lewis Hamilton needed a moment to feel it all. A few seconds all on his own to crouch in a corner of the pit lane and process what he had done. To process a first victory for 686 days. To process the realisation of a childhood dream.
And to process the culmination of an extraordinary comeback, from almost walking away after a wretched debut season with Ferrari to restoring the Scuderia to the top step of the podium within just a few short months. “I nearly gave up hope,” Hamilton admitted. “I started out a dream last year which seemed almost impossible during my time last year.”
The green shoots of recovery were visible early on this season, a first Ferrari podium finally secured in China back in March. Back-to-back second places in Montreal and Monaco were impressive, but nothing compared to the supreme performance he produced on a sweltering Sunday in Barcelona.
He had to be patient, and George Russell looked the obvious favourite in the early stages after a strong getaway from pole. Hamilton couldn’t make inroads on the soft tyre, but Ferrari were committed to a three-stop strategy and it was after the first that he came alive. Russell was struggling to manage his tyres and that brought Kimi Antonelli into play.
While they squabbled for the lead, Lando Norris was lurking in the McLaren. But the bigger threat was Hamilton, further back because of his alternative strategy but lapping quicker than anyone else. Antonelli was fast but couldn’t get past Russell and, with both eyeing the title, Mercedes were never going to tell the Brit to step aside.
View 3 ImagesFerrari’s wild pit lane celebrations were soon under way(Image: Art Vega/Action Plus/Shutterstock)
Though boss Toto Wolff admitted their failure to do so “maybe cost us the win”. He estimated they lost up to six seconds of race time to Hamilton by allowing Antonelli to keep pressuring Russell. That made the difference when, just after both Mercedes cars made their final stops, home hero Fernando Alonso pulled over with a problem.
The Virtual Safety Car gave Hamilton a cheap pit stop and he rejoined the track still in the lead. Another slice of misfortune luck for luckless Russell to rue this year. Though his title hopes did get a shot in the arm when, with just four laps to go, Antonelli’s engine gave up and the championship leader was out.
But the day was Hamilton’s as he became the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since 43-year-old Jack Brabham in 1970. His winning margin of 19.561 seconds was the biggest of anyone so far this year. And how fitting it was that his first Ferrari win came at the same venue Michael Schumacher got off the mark for the Scuderia, 30 years ago.
He said: “In 1996, Michael won here for Ferrari and I remember watching the red car and always wondering what it would be like. To be on top of the podium, to cross that line in the red car, wow. I dreamt of it as a kid, at home watching on the sofa with my bacon sarnie. There’s nothing like it – it’s absolutely incredible.”
Hamilton wiped away his podium tears of joy to declare the title race is on after finally securing his first Grand Prix win with Ferrari. And he headed an all-British podium – the first since 1968 – as George Russell and Lando Norris joined him on the rostrum.
View 3 ImagesLewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris made up the first all-British podium in F1 since 1968(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
But they were just supporting characters – yesterday was all about Hamilton. Aged 41, he has bounced back from a wretched first year with Ferrari and admitted his record-extending 106th win might be the best of the lot. “They’re all special in their own way, but this one is something else,” he beamed.
“I watched Ferrari have all their success when I was younger, watched it on the TV and wondered what it would be like to win in that car. And now it’s come. Everyone worked so hard for it and truly deserves it, I’m forever grateful to them. This is just the first, I hope, of many.”
It’s the first time all year that anyone has beaten Mercedes to a Grand Prix win. After championship leader Kimi Antonelli pulled over with an engine failure in the final stages of yesterday’s race, Hamilton is only 41 points behind. And he was allowing himself to dream.
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He said: “Mercedes have got an amazing package and they’re so strong, both drivers are doing such an incredible job. It’s going to take absolutely everything from all of us in this team to overcome the deficit and to get ahead of them consistently, but nothing’s impossible. One step at a time. They still have great pace as we can see, but we’re going to keep working and trying to close that gap. It’s not over, for sure.”
Norris, the defending champion, and Russell, eyeing this year’s crown, have led Britain’s F1 hopes in recent years while Hamilton has struggled. But both were reduced to supporting roles again as they watched their childhood hero star once again.
Russell said: “Lewis had a really impressive race. It’s special to see him back on the top step.” And Norris added: “It’s pretty cool to watch, just as a fan of Lewis, it’s special. It was a cool podium and a good day.”