Hamilton gets maiden victory with Ferrari at F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP

At the end of a grueling 66 laps at the Catalunya track with high temps and expected trouble with tire degradation, Lewis Hamilton found himself crossing the finish line in P1, grabbing his maiden victory in the Scuderia Red colors. Through excellent strategy, precise timing and a little bit of luck, Ferrari were able to give the exact support that Hamilton had been searching for to mount a title contending season. Antonelli’s five race winning streak at the 2026 season was broken by Hamilton’s incredible comeback, winning his first race since the Belgian Grand Prix in 2024.

Among the chaos, multiple retirements were also called. Shockingly, Kimi Antonelli, the current championship leader, had to retire his car just 3 laps before the end, citing engine failure. Charles Leclerc would also suffer with a car issue with his steering that rendered him to the pits after an impressive comeback to the top 5 after a Q3 crash that started him at P10. With a total of 8 DNFs, the Barcelona GP had a significant impact on the championship standings. As Antonelli scored no points, the door for the championship was blown wide open. Antonelli’s teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, and 7 time WDC winner Lewis Hamilton, both are now within 50 points of Antonelli’s points tally at the top.

The podium at the Barcelona GP was all British at the end of it all with George Russell and Lando Norris securing P2 and P3 respectively, happening for the first time since 1968. Antonelli could have well ruined this unique moment at P2 when he overtook Russell but instead had to retire, giving Norris the opportunity to grab the last spot on the podium.

A three-stop race from Hamilton put Mercedes in a tough spot as they tried to strategize their way around what was looking to be classic Hamilton back on the track. Starting on the risky soft tires, Hamilton and Ferrari took a risk to try and catch up on pole sitter Russell. The start wouldn’t change anything for the top 5, no driver giving up their position. Pitting relatively early, Hamilton threw a wrench in the works of Mercedes strategy, forcing the 2 drivers to follow closely in the next few laps.

Russell had doubts when he was asked to pit against his wishes early, fearing Antonelli would take his position, but Antonelli also pitted 2 laps later. A second pit stop after 28 laps for Hamilton meant he would come out of the pits in 7th and eventually overtook Verstappen to 5th. A third pit stop would have seemed risky as he was still behind the leaders Russell and Antonelli. As both Mercedes pitted into lap 38, Norris also gave up his 3rd place when he pitted. After Leclerc’s move to let Hamilton go past him in lap 32, he was now in the lead but still needed to pit with almost 30 laps left to the race. Luck becoming a factor, Fernando Alonso had to retire his car in lap 41, prompting a Virtual Safety Car that gave Hamilton the perfect opportunity to pit and rejoin the race 2 seconds in front of Russell.

With a final stint on fresh tires, Hamilton was able to hold and increase his lead to 19.5 seconds when he crossed the chequered flag unfurled by Novak Djokovic at the end of an entertaining 66 laps. Lewis Hamilton took home the Barcelona –Catalunya trophy while George Russell and Lando Norris filled up the podium, followed by Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in P4 and P5 with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto putting in impressive performances in the Alpine cars to end at P7 and P8.

The constructors’ championship showed a clear dominating performance from Mercedes at the top followed by Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull respectively in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The drivers’ championship is getting close at the top with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, at 2nd and 3rd respectively, breathing down the leader, teenager Kimi Antonelli’s neck along with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris filling up the top 5.

(This article is written by Arnav Madhura, a student of Krea University, interning at Deccan Chronicle.)