Lewis Hamilton wins first F1 race with Ferrari in Barcelona | Sports News

The seven-time world champion’s first win for the Italian manufacturer is also his first F1 win in nearly two years.

Former Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won his first race as part of the legendary Ferrari team, winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in Spain on Sunday.

The win came in his 31st race with Ferrari in Hamilton’s breakout year. The 41-year-old is second in the drivers’ standings, trailing teenager Kimi Antonelli, who is seeking his sixth consecutive victory for his Mercedes team.

Hamilton finished sixth in the standings in 2025, behind season winner Lando Norris of McLaren. He has not stood on top of the podium since winning the Belgian Grand Prix in July 2024 driving a Mercedes.

“I started with a dream last year, which seemed impossible during my time last year,” Hamilton said shortly after the race. “But we didn’t give up. The team just encouraged me. We made a lot of changes and made a lot of changes. In addition, I have a lot of fans who can be asked. Thank you. Thank you very much to everyone.”

Hamilton scored a goal for his team in Barcelona. He used a triple-stop system, used tires that he thought would handle the heat better and was helped by a free stop under the Virtual Safety Car. Track temperatures at the start of the race were above 50C (122F), F1 said.

Russell held on to an early lead with Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris and four-year champion Max Verstappen in the chase while maintaining their pole positions.

On Lap 12, both leaders wanted to change tires as they began to affect performance. On Lap 23, Ferrari called on Hamilton to change tyres, and he closed the lead, thanks to his new set.

When the other drivers hit the pits again, Hamilton led by 16 seconds.

After the Virtual Safety Car came out, Hamilton was called back by Ferrari with 24 laps to go. When he returned to the circuit, his lead was less than three seconds over Russell, but Hamilton had the advantage of solid tyres.

With five races remaining, Antonelli passed Russell for second place, but a broken bird forced him out of the race and ended his victory.

Hamilton finished 19.5 seconds ahead of Russell, and Norris finished third. The trio made it Britain’s first podium since 1968.

Russell said after the race that Ferrari is threatening other teams, because of the big changes.

“First of all, a big thank you to (Hamilton) because I know how hard he works. We spent many years together at Mercedes, so I’m very happy to see him return to the Lewis that I remember when I was growing up watching Formula 1,” he said.

“But yes, a difficult day, it’s good to be back on track and have a bit of a good race from my side. Ferrari were very impressive today and we have to keep going.”