Lewis Hamilton fought back tears as he delivered an emotional statement after his dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, securing his first ever win for Ferrari. The seven-time world champion paid tribute to 'the greatest fanbase a sportsman could ever ask for' following his maiden triumph with the Scuderia.
Race Highlights
Hamilton demonstrated blistering pace and capitalised on a fortunate Virtual Safety Car to leave Mercedes in his wake, cruising to victory ahead of former teammate George Russell. Russell started from pole position and dominated the opening half of the race, but Hamilton was running an alternative strategy and closing the gap with every lap.
He and Ferrari seized their opportunity when the VSC was deployed after both Mercedes cars had already pitted, grabbing a cut-price stop for their final tyre change and emerging at the front of the field. From that point Hamilton was utterly dominant, continuously extending his advantage and pulling more than 20 seconds clear of Russell by the time he crossed the finish line.
Emotional Victory
Jubilant scenes erupted among Ferrari personnel as Hamilton dropped to his knees to compose himself, then accepted congratulations from Russell and Lando Norris before addressing the crowd for the first time. He said: 'First, I have to start and say a huge grazie to everyone here, everyone back at the factory, and to Fred [Vasseur] for believing in me and bringing me to this team. I started out a dream last year which seemed almost impossible during my time last year. I nearly gave up hope, but the team continued to lift me up.'
He added: 'We made so many changes and improvements and, on top of that, we have just the greatest fanbase a sportsman could ever ask for. So thank you, thank you to everybody.'
Title Fight Alive
This marks Hamilton's 106th Grand Prix victory, and he confessed his first win with Ferrari could well be his most memorable to date. 'They're all special in their own way, but this one is something else. I watched Ferrari have all their success when I was younger, watched it on the TV, and then when I've been racing here I've watched the screens 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. Great pit stops today, great strategy. The car felt fantastic. Forza Ferrari!'
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli appeared poised to claim second place following a late move past Russell, who was fading fast. But catastrophe then befell the Italian teenager, as an engine failure left him abandoned at the trackside, enabling Hamilton to reduce the points deficit between them to 41. Hamilton stays guarded about what the remainder of the campaign may bring, but he proclaimed himself a contender in the championship fight should Ferrari sustain their remarkable upward momentum. He said: 'I definitely will take it. It's a long, long way to go. 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.'
