Hamilton Brought First Win to Ferrari at Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton took a historic victory in the seventh round of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. At the end of the 66-lap race, Hamilton, after the two seasons he spent with Ferrari, won the first F1 victory in the Italian team. The seven-time world champion left his rivals behind by using the mid-race virtual safety car (VSC) at perfect timing. Hamilton's victory was also the first race won for a non-Mercedes team in the 2026 season; Mercedes had dominated throughout the season and had won all of the previous six races.

Hamilton preferred an alternative three-stop strategy at an early stage in the race in which he started second. The virtual safety car period in the middle of the race turned Hamilton's strategy into a great advantage. With the quick reaction of the Ferrari pit crew, Hamilton made the critical pit stops at the ideal moment and took the lead. He embraced the victory without being under pressure in the rest of the race. The 41-year-old British driver also increased his career win count and reinforced his title as F1 history's most successful driver. This victory, an extremely critical result for Ferrari, revived the Italian team's season hopes.

George Russell, who started from pole position, was on the second step of the podium in the Mercedes of the season's fastest lap holder. Russell delivered an important performance after being pointless in the last two races. Lando Norris reached the third step of the podium with McLaren. After that, Max Verstappen finished fourth, while Oscar Piastri completed the race in fifth with McLaren. The race ended with great disappointment for championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The 19-year-old Italian, who was in the leading position with 66 points difference with five victories throughout the season, had to retire due to a mechanical failure as the last three laps of the race began. Antonelli's unexpected retirement brought an important reflection in terms of points in the championship. In the same period, Charles Leclerc also retired as the other Ferrari driver; the Monégasque driver also crashed in Q3 in Saturday's qualifying and had started from 10th.

Hamilton's victory ended the winning drought that had been ongoing for Ferrari since the 2025 season. The red team had not given Tifosi fans such great joy in recent seasons. Hamilton's transition from Mercedes to Ferrari in early 2025 had created great repercussions but his first season had ended with disappointment. In 2026, after a podium in China (third), back-to-back second places in Canada and Monaco, the Barcelona victory ended all difficulties. The points difference in the championship decreased; Hamilton, with this race in which Russell also did not lose points, consolidated his position in second place. The F1 calendar will continue with the Austrian Grand Prix on June 25-28; the race to be held at the Red Bull Ring will be the eighth round of the season.

Image: motorsportweek.com