Red Mist: Of Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, curious events and the black cat

For instance, Lewis’ won almost precisely 30 years after Michael Schumacher scored his maiden victory for the Scuderia. At the very same Catalan racetrack back in ‘96.

Just in case that isn’t suspicious enough, this first Ferrari win just happened to come on Lewis’ record 106 Grand Prix victory. When Schumacher won in 1996, that was Ferrari’s 106th Grand Prix win.

Never mind, the 41-year-old is now the oldest man to win a Grand Prix in 56 years since the older great Australian triple world champion Jack Brabham’s final victory. That being in his eponymous machine at the 1970 Kyalami South African Grand Prix.

And, by standing alongside countrymen Russell and Norris on that Spanish podium, Hamilton also contributed to the first all-British podium in 58 years. Since Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees gathered on the ‘68 United States rostrum.

It was also 686 days since Lewis’ previous 2024 Belgian Grand Prix win and his third consecutive podium of 2026. And just in case, Hamilton is the first driver to win without Mercedes power this season.

Significantly, however, Lewis Hamilton drove a flawless race to humble his former team and throw himself squarely into the 2026 World Championship fight. Once criticised on strategy, Ferrari and Hamilton delivered another masterstroke on Sunday.

Opting for a risky three-stop strategy, Hamilton stalked leader Russell before stopping early. Mercedes pushed on with its two-stop strategy and ran into tyre degradation issues while Lewis attacked on fresh rubber.

Ferrari aggressively pitted again before the Mercedes made their second stops. But a fortuitous Virtual Safety Car to clean up Alonso’s stricken Aston Martin afforded Hamilton a cheap pit stop on Lap 41.

Which allowed the Ferrari man to rejoin in the lead. He then powered away to a 20 second victory, crushing any speculation that the win was just down to a lucky stop. Mercedes would not have resisted that Ferrari. Hamilton would win either way.

Another reliability issue compounded Mercedes’ woes. It cost log leader Antonelli a certain second place. And allowed Hamilton to decimate the young Italian’s title advantage.

Hamilton puts his Ferrari breakthrough down to a profound mental reset, relentless training and a refreshed core belief in himself. After a ‘nightmare’ Ferrari debut season left him second-guessing his abilities, he focused on a total personal transformation.

"Just never second-guess yourself,” Lewis admits. “Never doubt your abilities. You must keep believing in yourself at the core. I've managed to rebuild my mind to this point."

Hamilton revealed that he carried a secret injury through much of 2025. As such, he implemented the most stringent physical training regimen of his career.

Which helped him combat searing track temperatures and ensured that Hamilton stayed point perfect at Barcelona on Sunday. While drivers half his age quite literally struggled to simply keep their heads up.

Perhaps most importantly, Lewis Hamilton also credits Ferrari for its part in his resurgence. Along with working closer with race engineer Carlo Santi in a fresh approach. That’s helped find a car that finally ‘talks’ to him.

It’s unlocked a setup to allow his raw speed and tyre management to finally shine through. Not only has Lewis Hamilton totally silenced his critics, but looking ahead, Ferrari finally appears to be delivering on the promise of an incredible new Hamilton-Vasseur era.

Now all the Scuderia needs is for Charles Leclerc to pick up his socks. And maybe for that black cat to cross the road in the right direction. Whichever way that is, Forza Ferrari!