Lewis Hamilton is a Formula 1 race winner for the first time as a Ferrari driver. The British driver delivered an emotional victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix, marking a milestone in his career with the iconic Italian team.
Hamilton's Emotional Tribute
After crossing the finish line, Hamilton crouched to the floor to gather his emotions before being congratulated by rivals George Russell and Lando Norris. In his first words as a Ferrari race winner, 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."
Race Strategy and Victory
Hamilton showed supreme pace and benefitted from a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period to overtake Mercedes and secure victory ahead of former team-mate George Russell. Russell started on pole and led for the first half of the race, but Hamilton, on an alternative strategy, was catching all the time. When the VSC appeared after both Mercedes cars had pitted, Ferrari seized the opportunity for a cheap pit stop, allowing Hamilton to re-emerge in the lead.
From there, Hamilton dominated, stretching his lead to over 20 seconds by the chequered flag. Ferrari staff celebrated wildly in parc ferme as Hamilton took the win.
A Special Victory
This is Hamilton's 106th Grand Prix victory, but he admitted it might be his most special yet. He said: "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."
He continued: "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!"
Title Race Heats Up
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli looked set to finish second after overtaking Russell, but an engine failure left him stranded, allowing Hamilton to reduce the points gap to 41. Hamilton remains cautious but optimistic: "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."
