Hamilton takes first Ferrari F1 win
Following his high-profile switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025, Lewis Hamilton is finally a race winner for the Scuderia. Victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June broke a 41-race, 686-day winless streak for the Brit that stretched back to the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix.
Adding spice to a 2026 F1 season that, to that point, had been dominated by Mercedes, the Catalunya result was the 106th victory in Hamilton’s F1 career, as well as the 249th win for Ferrari.
Hamilton came to Catalunya off the back of runner-up finishes at the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix. Despite being off the pace in Free Practise 2 (reserve driver Dino Beganovic drove the SF-26 in FP1), Hamilton improved in FP3, then again in Qualifying to start from second on the grid alongside former teammate George Russell, demoting championship leader Kimi Antonelli to the second row.
In the race, Hamilton started on used soft tyres and held onto second until the first pit stop on lap 11. Rejoining in seventh place on the hard compound tyre, a second pitstop on lap 27 for medium tyres elevated Hamilton to the lead.
A virtual safety car on lap 40 proved fortuitous for Hamilton, who pitted for his third and final stop a lap later, rejoining in the outright lead and holding it to the chequered flag, aided by a DNF for Antonelli.
The win makes Hamilton, aged 41, the oldest grand prix winner since Jack Brabham won the 1970 South African Grand Prix, aged 43.
"This is an incredibly special moment,” an emotional Hamilton said after his victory. “Winning my first race with Ferrari is something I've dreamt about since I was a child, and to finally achieve it feels incredible.
“I've been fortunate enough to experience many special moments in my career, but this one is different. Ferrari has the greatest fans in the world and seeing their passion, their energy and their support makes this victory even more meaningful. This is a day I'll never forget, and I hope it's the first of many wins that we can celebrate together."
