Sir Lewis Hamilton: Formula 1 victories are all special but this one with Ferrari is something else

The triumph that ends Ferrari’s longest win drought in recent years and claims the 106th victory of his remarkable Formula 1 career. It was Hamilton's first Grand Prix win in red and an emotional one, as the seven-time World Champion fought back tears while the British and Italian national anthems echoed around the circuit.

The victory was significant on several fronts. Hamilton became the oldest Grand Prix winner since Jack Brabham in 1970, secured Ferrari's first victory since Mexico City in 2024, and reduced championship leader Kimi Antonelli's advantage to 41 points.

As he crossed the line, Hamilton declared: "Grazie tutti Maranello. Thank you so much. You've helped me achieve this dream and I can't thank you enough. Thanks for everyone pushing so hard back at home  I'm so proud of you. To my family, I love you To my fans, thank you for continuing to remind me who I am. I couldn't have done this without you"

Hamilton paid tribute to the people who stood by him during a difficult first season with Ferrari: "First I have to start and say a huge 'grazie' to everyone here.

"My team here at Ferrari, everyone back at the factory. Fred [Vasseur] for believing in me and bringing me to this team. I started out with a dream which seemed almost impossible during my time last year.

"We never gave up hope, and the team continued to lift me up. We made so many changes and we made so many improvements. On top of that, I have got the greatest fanbase a sportsman could ever ask for, and so thank you to everybody."

Early last year, Hamilton's move to Ferrari was one of the biggest stories in Formula 1 history, but the partnership endured a frustrating 2025 campaign without a single podium finish. Barcelona changed everything.

For years Hamilton had imagined what it would feel like to stand on the top step wearing Ferrari colours. On Sunday, that dream became reality: "They are all special in their own way, but this one is something else.

"I watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV. And as I've been racing here [in F1], I'd always watched the screens and wondered what it would be like to win in that car, and it's come," added Hamilton.

The victory also carried a remarkable historical symmetry. Like Michael Schumacher before him, Hamilton claimed his first Ferrari win at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He also surpassed Schumacher's record at the venue with a seventh victory at the Spanish circuit.

The win arrived in dominant fashion too. Hamilton crossed the line 19.561 seconds clear of the field, the largest winning margin recorded so far this season.

Hamilton credited Ferrari's relentless development programme and his own renewed mindset for the dramatic turnaround in form.

After struggling for much of the previous campaign, the Briton believes both he and the team are now beginning to unlock the potential of the partnership: "Working my way back to my centre. I've got great prep. I have trained so hard to be here today. There is so much work that I've done and doing in the background.

"Also the team are giving me that confidence in the changes we have made. Believing and trusting in the decisions and the things I have asked for, and we're slowly starting to see that it's all coming together.  I'm just happy in my life, so I'm in a good place. I love doing what I do. There's no greater feeling than racing a Formula 1 car."

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was among the first to acknowledge Hamilton's achievement, despite enduring a frustrating afternoon himself: "I don't want to take any credit for today. I don't think I've done much for the team.

"I think Lewis and the team eventually won it on their own, and I wish I had been a bit more informed to maybe be a bit more in the mix of the things, but I wasn't for my fault.

"Huge congratulations to Lewis, who has been on it now since quite a bit and has been incredible, and a huge congrats to the team as well, that is pushing massively on a brace, and we are showing it now, so it's good to see this. I'm just very disappointed on my side, obviously," added Leclerc

While the emotional significance of the victory dominated the headlines, Hamilton was quick to point out that the championship battle remains a daunting challenge.

Antonelli still leads the standings, but Ferrari's recent progress has injected fresh life into the title race heading into the second half of the season: "I definitely will take it. There is a long, long way to go and they've still got great pace, as you can see. But we are going to keep working and trying to close that gap. It's not over, that's for sure."

The statistics underline the scale of Hamilton's achievement. It was his first victory in 19 years and 4 days since his maiden Grand Prix win in Canada in 2007, extending the longest span between a driver's first and latest victories in Formula 1 history.

It also completed an historic all-British podium, the first since Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees locked out the top three positions at the 1968 United States Grand Prix.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur praised Hamilton's performance but urged caution despite the breakthrough victory: "It's a good feeling. We had one year with ups and downs, with some difficult moments, and to win today, and on top of that to have the race under control, is very satisfying."

"I think he was able to fight yesterday for pole position, and today he managed the situation very well. As soon as we adjusted the strategy, he was able to push more or less when needed, and he was outstanding today," said Vasseur.

Vasseur rejected suggestions that Hamilton had dramatically changed his approach in recent races, insisting the seven-time World Champion's commitment had never wavered: "I think the approach of Lewis has been consistent from the beginning. He's fully committed, fully convinced, and he's pushing everybody. We need to have this kind of energy, and it's paying off today.

"But we also have to stay calm. It's not that last week we were nowhere and today we are world champions. That would be a huge mistake. We need to go to Austria with exactly the same approach as Barcelona, and that's what we will do."

Vasseur also highlighted the growing trust between Ferrari's strategists and drivers as a key factor behind the team's recent progress: "The most important thing is to have the pace. The strategy went very well today, but it also went very well at the last couple of events when the pace was a bit less impressive.

"The confidence that we have between ourselves on the pit wall and with the drivers is key. We can make mistakes because strategy is never guaranteed. We saw with Charles that we pitted and then the VSC came out a lap later, which was painful. But the fact that we have this level of confidence between us is key for the future," added Vasseur.

For Ferrari, it was victory number 249. For Hamilton, it was win number 106. For Formula 1, it was a reminder that one of the sport's greatest champions is not finished yet. Barcelona may prove to be remembered as the day Hamilton's Ferrari story truly began.

·        Hamilton P1 - Oldest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Jack Brabham in 1970 (41 years 158 days)

·        Hamilton P1 - Matches Michael Schumacher in winning his first Grand Prix for Ferrari at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

·        Hamilton P1 - Seventh win at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beating Michael Schumacher’s record

·        Hamilton P1 - Ferrari’s 249th Grand Prix win, first since since Mexico City 2024

·        Hamilton P1 - Did not finish on the podium in the 2025 season

·        Hamilton P1 - Reduces Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead to 56 points

·        [16:41, 14/06/2026] Seankellyusa: All-British podium is the first for any nation since French drivers finished 1-2-3 at the 1983 San Marino GP (Patrick Tambay / Alain Prost / Rene Arnoux)

·        First all-British podium since the 1968 US Grand Prix (Jackie Stewart / Graham Hill / John Surtees

·        Hamilton P1 - Oldest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Jack Brabham in 1970 (41 years 158 days)

·        Hamilton P1 - Largest winning margin of the 2026 season (19.561s)

·        Hamilton P1 - 106th Grand Prix victory

·        Hamilton P1 - Matches Michael Schumacher in winning his first Grand Prix for Ferrari at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

·        Hamilton P1 - Seventh win at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beating Michael Schumacher’s record

·        Hamilton P1 - Ferrari’s 249th Grand Prix win, first since since Mexico City 2024

·        Hamilton P1 - Did not finish on the podium in the 2025 season

·        Hamilton P1 - Reduces Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead to 41 points

·        Hamilton P1 - Extends longest-ever interval between first and last wins (19 years 4 days since the 2007 Canadian GP)

·        Hamilton P1 - Is already within 41 points of his entire season points total in 2025