Hamilton takes first Ferrari win at Spanish GP, 30 years after Schumacher
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, 30 years after Michael Schumacher's first win with the team at the same track, reigniting the 2026 F1 title fight.
A historic triumph
Lewis Hamilton broke a winless streak with Ferrari that stretched back to last season, taking a dominant victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The seven-time champion crossed the line 19.561 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, with McLaren's Lando Norris completing the podium. The win was his 106th in Formula 1 and a record-extending seventh at the Spanish venue, surpassing the six wins he had shared with Schumacher.
Today, 30 years later, my heart almost exploded.
The emotional resonance was acute. Hamilton recalled watching Schumacher's first Ferrari win at this circuit in 1996 as a 12-year-old. "I've been waiting for this day, dreaming about it for a long time," he said.
Strategic mastery
Ferrari's aggressive three-stop plan proved decisive. Hamilton pitted early on lap 11, again on lap 28, and seized the lead when a virtual safety car—triggered by Fernando Alonso's retirement—allowed a final stop on lap 41 without losing position. From there, he pulled away.
We chose an aggressive approach from the start with three scheduled stops, and the strategy proved perfect.
Mercedes reliability woes
Kimi Antonelli looked set for another strong result but retired with a technical issue while running second, four laps from the finish. The failure handed third to Norris and drew sharp criticism from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
We cannot fight for a championship if, race after race, a car loses so many points. To finish first, first you have to finish.
The DNF was Antonelli's first of the season and followed a run of five consecutive wins. Charles Leclerc also suffered a mechanical retirement after a heavy qualifying crash, leaving Hamilton as Ferrari's sole scorer.
Disappointment for the home crowd
Fernando Alonso's race ended in heartbreak. The Aston Martin driver, cheered loudly by 125,000 fans, was forced to retire with a battery failure, triggering the safety car that aided Hamilton. "The best part of the weekend was the fans," Alonso said. "It was very emotional, especially knowing this might be my last Barcelona race." Carlos Sainz also endured a difficult afternoon in an uncompetitive car.
Title race reshaped
Hamilton's win cut the deficit to championship leader Antonelli to 41 points (156 to 115). With the next round in Austria, the Mercedes–Ferrari battle is firmly restarted.
- Hamilton pits from 2nd on lap 11, first of the top ten to stop.
- Hamilton pits again on lap 28 for fresh mediums, begins to close on Mercedes.
- Virtual safety car deployed after Alonso retires; Hamilton takes final stop and emerges in lead.
- Antonelli retires from 2nd with a mechanical issue, four laps from the finish.
- Hamilton wins by 19.561 seconds over Russell, his first Ferrari victory.
